Eldrew Yulo bucks injury, bags floor exercise bronze in world championships

MANILA, Philippines, November 24 ------ It may not have been his best performance, but Eldrew Yulo still got the job done to win a medal in the Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The 17-year-old bagged the floor exercise bronze following a nerve-racking final at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

Yulo cracked the podium by the slimmest of margins by netting 13.733 points as he joined older brother Carlos in an exclusive club of Filipino world medalists. China’s Yang Lanbin struck gold with 13.833 points, while Italy’s Simone Speranza earned silver with 13.766 points, with Yulo edging top qualifier Arsenii Dukhno of Russia by a mere tenth of a point. “I’m really happy even if it was only a bronze. Even if I was not able to hear the national anthem played, I still raised the flag of the Philippines for all of us,” said Yulo in a mix of Filipino and English. “Still a great fight for me even though it was bronze. This is my journey starting now.” he added.

Yulo, though, admitted he was already bracing for the worst as his score in the final marked a significant drop from his 14.233 points in the qualifications, where he ranked second. A right ankle injury he sustained in the all-around final the day prior did not help his cause as Yulo endured pain throughout his routine. Sitting at third through seven of the eight finalists, Yulo feared of getting bumped off the top three as Dukhno, who topped the qualifications with 14.5 points, performed last.

But Yulo heaved a huge sigh of relief when the judges gave Dukhno only 13.633 points and he immediately broke into tears while hugging coach Reyland Capellan. “I was already thinking that it was okay to finish fifth or fourth, at least I did my best and I still fought despite being hurt,” said Yulo. “It still hurts, but we still managed to compete with it and we still managed to get bronze even though I injured myself yesterday. We’re Filipinos, we will fight to the end.” he added.

Yulo still has two medal chances as he competes in the finals of vault and horizontal bar today.

Source: rappler.com