Eldrew Yulo came tantalizingly close to a silver medal but settled for bronze in the horizontal bar, capping a memorable campaign at the 3rd Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships held at the Marriott Manila Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
Playing through an ankle injury, Yulo seemed poised for second place with a strong and clean performance in his final event, scoring 14.000 points, which included a 0.10 bonus for a picture-perfect landing.
With two gymnasts remaining, hometown fans in the packed arena roared as his score appeared on the huge screen. The meet, backed by the Office of the President, the Philippine Sports Commission, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, was a major showcase for junior gymnasts worldwide.
But Colombian Camilo Vera, the last performer, stole the spotlight with an outstanding routine on the apparatus, earning 14.533 points to claim gold.
American Danila Leykin, the first athlete to perform, took silver with a score of 14.233. The elite meet, organized by Gymnastics Philippines, was also supported by Smart/PLDT, with Cignal as the official broadcaster.
The significance of his achievement was not lost on Yulo. He noted that he also earned bronze in the floor exercise and competed in the finals of the vault and individual all-around.
“Parang nanaginip pa rin ako, gusto ko mag-sampal ko ka coach Reyland (Capellan) nagbunga lahat ng pinaghirapan ko, maski bronze lang, malaking bagay po ito sa akin,” Yulo said, reflecting on his first and final world junior meet before moving up to the senior ranks.
For a fleeting moment in the vault finals, there was hope that Yulo, competing as the seventh vaulter, could capture another bronze after posting an average of 13.716 for his two vaults.
That hope was dashed by Individual Neutral Athlete Arsenii Dukhno, whose stellar second vault earned him the gold with a two-vault average of 14.333 points. Britons Sol Scott and Evan McPhilipps, who had been running 1-2 with scores of 14.066 and 13.950, were pushed to silver and bronze, leaving the hometown favorite off the podium.
Overcome with emotion, Yulo was moved that his famous older brother, Paris Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Edriel Yulo, was there to witness his performance. Carlos warmly embraced him outside the arena once his competition ended.
“Nakadalawang bronze ako kuya!” he shouted as he saw his brother approach after leaving the mixed zone. “Sa susunod naman tayo naman ang magkasama.”
In a separate press conference, his parents, Mark and Angelica, expressed gratitude to Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, who watched from the sidelines, for accepting their younger son into his training.
“Nagpapasalamat ako at tinanggap niya ang anak kong si Eldrew, pinatiyagaan ninyo siya kaya kami nagpapasalamat,” said Yulo’s mother.
“Hopefully magkita-kita kami ang aming anak sa 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” added his father.
“Tuloy-tuloy na ito.”
