CARLOS Yulo counts the World Artistics Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, last October, where he had a disastrous performance, as one of the hardest, if not the hardest, tournaments he has competed in.
The Filipino gymnast missed the all-around final of the Paris Olympics qualifying event after falling flat on his back during his dismount in the still rings in Antwerp.
Right after that, he failed in his first attempt at the vault, uncharacteristic for Yulo, who ruled the apparatus in the 2021 World Artistics Gymnastics.
"It was really hard during the Worlds because I have to push myself to continue after I fell," Yulo told The Manila Times.
"I had a hard time recovering because when the vault started, I could not feel my feet anymore. I was running, but I couldn't feel my feet. My bad fall affected me badly in the next apparatus. It was really one of the hardest competitions for me," he said.
Despite missing the all-around final, the 4-foot-11 dynamo still made his second straight Olympic qualification, being the highest-ranked eligible participant in the floor exercise.
Qualifying vindicated his decision to skip the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he was a strong favorite to win multiple gold medals.
Yulo, who turns 24 on February 16, is moving on from that underwhelming phase of his athletic career in a year that also saw him split up with long-time Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, who transformed him into a world-class gymnast.
Yulo, who is from Malate, Manila, is confident of winning a medal at the Olympics in July.
"I think with the training plan I have for myself, I think I have a good chance of winning a medal. I'm preparing for how I'm going to execute my routines on the day of the competition. I really value each day of my training, and I don't leave the gym without an inch or a centimeter of improvement. I really push myself to the limits," he said.
His goal "is to execute my routines successfully and my plans for each event. I know it's not going to be smooth, but I'm determined to face the challenges, I'm ready. Hopefully, I don't get injured. I hope to stay healthy before the start of the Olympics."
The two-time Olympian, who trains six days in a week, said:
"I accepted what happened because win or lose, I'm still going to continue what I do. I'm still going to practice even if I win. I'm going to double my effort if I suffer defeat."
He said he has accepted that "you're not going to win all the time, and you're not going to lose all the time. That's sports. It was one of those competitions where I'm not the best, but I gave all my heart. I finished the competition despite the struggles that I experienced."
Before the Worlds, he had been collecting wins that people have probably forgotten because of his dismal Antwerp showing. Yulo bagged gold medals in the all-around and parallel bars in the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games last May. He added three more golds, in the floor, vault, parallel bars in the Asian Championships, where he emerged as the best male gymnast.
"I have played well in some competitions with good results. I'm grateful for all the things that happened, especially during the World Championships, where I got tested. There are so many realizations and lessons. I'm grateful that those things happened to me," he said.
"I was able to reflect more, what I still need to do, what are the things that I still lacked in training and even outside of it. I was able to focus well and gave myself enough time to adjust in practice and my life outside gymnastics. Good and bad, I'm grateful for those things," Yulo said.
As hard he has been training, he admitted that he is far from top shape, saying he needs to do more skills and strength exercises.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Yulo said he's just at 6 or 7 at this point.
"I still have a lot of weaknesses. I have a lot to improve. There are a lot of things that I have not been able to do. I'm super thankful that I have access to those kinds of things (strength and conditioning coaching). Whatever she (sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod) is telling me to do, I really do it well," shared Yulo.
He said "it's hard when you're actually doing it yourself. The weakness and the muscles of the body, movements of the body, it's not natural what she's telling me to do. It's really hard."
As part of his run-up for the Olympics, Yulo will participate in two World Cup legs — in Azerbaijan in March, and in Doha in April. He will also compete in the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan in June.
The support of his fans is not lost on Yulo, thanking them "for all the support and the prayers. Please keep supporting and praying for me in my journey."
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