BRONZE STAR
No one would have faulted Karl Eldrew Yulo if he celebrated his breakthrough triumph as if it were the culmination of his long journey.
But the rising gymnastics star showed wisdom beyond his age when he put his bronze medal on Day 4 of the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships in its proper context.
“I think my journey’s started,” an emotional Yulo told reporters in Filipino. “Maybe it starts here. I know I’ll have to endure more disappointments, but I’m so happy right now.”
“This isn’t just any competition. [Winning] makes me want to cry,” the 17-year-old standout added.
Yulo notched his first podium finish in the junior worlds by taking the bronze in the floor exercise final after collecting 13.733 points with his performance.
And to make the victory even sweeter, Yulo accomplished the feat in front of an adoring home crowd.
The pressure was on Yulo to deliver, competing as the second gymnast out of eight world-class competitors.
Bothered by a hurting right ankle, Yulo lowered the degree of difficulty of his routine, a planned safety precaution he had earlier announced. He let his performance do the heavy lifting and made up for the 0.100 shaved off his routine to set a high bar for the remaining six finalists.
But already at third, Yulo faced his most agonizing wait as Arsenii Dukhno, the Russian-born gold medalist in the all-around, took the mat.
“I was so nervous,” Yulo said.
“I just started telling the Lord, ‘if You’re really kind, You’ll give this to me,’ but I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he added in jest.
‘Best friend’
Dukhno had a chance to overthrow the rising Filipino gymnast but landed outside the mat during his routine, ultimately giving Yulo his podium spot.
“When he stepped outside, I didn’t know what to feel. I don’t know if I should feel bad or good. It felt bittersweet. I don’t think of him as my enemy; he’s my opponent and also my best friend,” Yulo said.
“I’m still so happy even if this is just bronze. Even if I couldn’t hear our national anthem, I still raised the Philippine flag for us, so it’s still a great fight for me, even though it’s just bronze. This is my journey and it’s starting now,” he added.
Yulo can take another significant step in that journey when he competes in the vault and the horizontal bar finals on Monday.
“I [have high hopes] on the high bar. In the vault, I’m still managing my pain, but I’ll fight. I’ll do everything in my power tomorrow. Whether it’s by power or magic, I’ll do it all to win more medals,” he vowed.
