Wide-awake dream
There was so much at stake for Carlos Yulo on Sunday (Manila time) as history beckoned.
A second gold. A first time for any Filipino athlete to win more than one medal in the same Olympics. The millions waiting to pour in after already an avalanche of bonuses pledged for his first Olympic title. The eight-man field of vault finalists where the top qualifier and the last were separated by just a quarter of a point—with the Filipino tucked in between as the sixth seed.
Yet, amid all that, Yulo was concerned about something less serious.
“This morning I was so sleepy, I didn’t know what to do,” Yulo told journalists after winning his second gold late on Sunday evening (Manila time) in the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It’s crazy because last night I couldn’t sleep. I wahs so hyped because I had won that gold medal on floor.”
In case you were not among the hundreds of thousands to watch the vault final, here’s what he did:
Slated to perform fourth at Bercy Arena, Yulo watched as Harry Hepworth of Great Britain set the standard as he unveiled a Dragulescu in his first vault, capping it with just a wee bit of a hop back and then going for a handspring front layout with two-an-a-half twist and another slight hop to take the lead with a 14.949 average.
His teammate, the celebrated Jake Jarman, failed to pass that, and then it was Yulo’s turn.
The 24-year-old ace submitted a routine with a 6.000 difficulty score (D-score), tied for the highest in the field with Jarman, except that his execution was flawless: A handspring double front half out in pike position for a field-best 15.433.
“The first vault was really good. I was so shocked that I landed it,” Yulo said.
Jumped to first
His second vault was a Kasamatsu double twist, and he did not stick the landing quite as coldly as the first but steadied himself enough to limit the deductions and rack up a 14.800.
His 15.116 average boosted him to first place and he waited out the last four participants for his victory.
None of the next three gymnasts came close to catching him, with four-time Olympian Igor Radivilov of Ukraine even falling backward on his second vault landing.
Artur Davtyan was the last challenger. The Armenian went with a handspring double front with a half twist in tuck position for his first vault and then threw in a handspring front with a two-and-a-half twist. Both had a D-score of 5.600 but his execution and form were near-perfect.
His score? A 14.966 that was just .150 short of Yulo’s, as the Filipino’s decision to gun for a more difficult routine paid off handsomely.
“I am a little bit disappointed because I wanted the gold medal. But I have the silver, I’m glad for that,” Davtyan said.
Hepworth settled for the bronze.
Hidilyn’s breakthrough
Three years after the Philippines came home with its first Olympic gold in history through weightlifting queen Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, Yulo became an Olympic champion twice over.
“It’s so crazy, I don’t know what to feel right now,” Yulo said.
“I was just hoping to perform well [today]. I didn’t really expect a medal. It really felt like a bonus for me,” he said, adding that he had grabbed some shut-eye whenever he got the chance before the final. “I slept in the bus, I slept after the podium training. I slept before going to the competition area. I kind of was napping for 15 to 20 minutes. I felt good after that and I just went for it.”
It’s going to be crazier when he flies home, not only to a windfall that will forever change his life but also to a grateful nation that was as sleepless as he was on Sunday.
“It was pride that kept me up,” said Alvin Giolagon, 48, a lawyer at the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. “I kept screaming every time a score of the last four gymnasts was shown. There was a lot of suspense.” —WITH REPORTS FROM AFP, REUTERS
