Karl Eldrew Yulo delivered strong performances in three events to advance to the finals of the floor exercise, vault, and horizontal bar at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Thursday, November 21. He finished 15th overall in the men’s individual all-around standings at the Manila Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom inside Newport World Resorts in Pasay City.

In front of a hometown crowd, the 17-year-old impressed in the floor exercise with a score of 14.233, finishing second behind AIN athlete Arsenii Dukhno, who led with 14.500. Yulo followed this with a fifth-place finish in the vault, averaging 13.750 points across two attempts.

With his family cheering him on, including older brother and 2019 world champion Carlos Edriel Yulo, father Mark, and mother Angelica, Karl Eldrew booked his third apparatus final in the horizontal bar, placing fifth with 13.700 points.

Challenges and achievements

Yulo was poised for a fourth final in the parallel bars but fell on his dismount, incurring a 1.434-point penalty and placing 28th with 12.666 points. His scores in the pommel horse (11.333, 58th) and rings (12.20, 27th) brought his total to 78.332 points, securing 15th place overall.

The Filipino team, including Batang Pinoy National Championships standouts CJ Pernia (64.40) and Hilarion Palles III (60.831), placed 24th out of 36 entries with 143.962 points. The competition was also supported by Newport World Resorts and Milo.

“Natupad yun aking wish, but my job is still not finished. So gagalingan ko pa at give my 100 percent in all the finals I am entered,” Yulo said after qualifying. He expressed gratitude to his family, including eldest Joriel, Carlos, and youngest Aiza, for their support.

“Unang-una sa lahat nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord na binigyan niya ako ng ganitong blessing at tulad ng ginawa ng whole family ko kay kuya Caloy sa 2019 SEA Games, ngayon naman ako naman ang sinuportahan nila,” he added.

Poise and promise

The young gymnast’s performance in front of his home crowd reflects both his talent and his growing maturity in international competitions. Yulo is set to compete in the men’s vault and other apparatus finals scheduled for Saturday, November 23.