Despite a disrupted buildup marked by logistical problems, the Philippine gymnastics team remains in good spirits as it begins its campaign in the 20th Asian Games on Monday.
At the center of the Philippine delegation is Carlos Yulo, who will try once again to add an Asian Games gold medal to an already decorated career.
Team official Sofia Almonte acknowledged that several issues affected the squad’s preparations, including delays in receiving training and competition information, accommodation changes, and late check-ins.
“Information on detailed training and competition schedules was spread across delegations with logistical delays. Further, accommodation reassignments and late availability resulted in late check-ins for multiple teams,” said Almonte.
The disruption also carried over to podium training, with the late arrival of the medical team affecting the sessions.
“The podium training sessions were delayed due to late arrival of the medical team, affecting the overall preparation focus.”
Still, the setbacks have not affected the team’s morale heading into competition at Rainbow Hall of the Nagoya City General Gymnasium.
“I think the team handled everything so well and of course they are still in good spirits,” Almonte said.
Yulo headlines the Philippine campaign as he chases the one major title that has eluded him so far.
The 26-year-old has already won Olympic, World Championship, World Cup, Asian Championship, and Southeast Asian Games titles, but an Asian Games gold remains absent from his collection.
His first chance comes in Monday’s men’s all-around competition, where he will face a formidable field led by Japanese Olympic champions Oka Shinnosuke and Daiki Hashimoto, as well as reigning Asian Games all-around champion Zhang Boheng of China.
Oka captured the Olympic all-around crown at the Paris Games last year, succeeding Hashimoto, who won the event in Tokyo in 2021. Zhang, meanwhile, claimed the Asian Games title in Hangzhou before adding the Asian Championships crown last June.
The all-around is only the opening act of Yulo’s campaign.
He is also set to compete in the floor exercise and vault, two events where expectations are particularly high after his Olympic triumphs.
The floor exercise could set up another battle with Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama. Yulo won the event at the Asian Championships last June, with Tsukiyama taking silver and Yulo’s younger brother Eldrew securing bronze.
Yulo will also have to contend with South Korea’s Kim Jaeho and Iran’s Mahdi Olfati in the vault. The two finished behind Yulo with silver and bronze, respectively, at the Asian Championships.
Beyond the medal chase, the Asian Games carry personal significance for Yulo because of what happened during his first appearance in 2018.
Still only 18 at the Jakarta-Palembang Games, Yulo entered as one of the Philippines’ leading medal hopefuls after earning World Cup silver medals in the vault and floor exercise.
However, costly landing errors kept him off the podium. He finished fourth in the vault and seventh in the floor exercise despite topping the qualification round in the latter.
“I want to make up for this,” said Yulo. “I want to test my ability (now) as well.”
Yulo missed the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou because the competition overlapped with the World Championships, which served as a qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
