Yulo bags 2nd gold in vault

By Michael Jugado

WITH an image of the Philippine flag sewn on his jersey, Carlos Yulo looked at the mat with eyes determined more than ever to show the world his greatness is not for just one event in the Paris Olympics.

Mirroring his historic golden triumph in the men’s artistic floor exercise last Saturday night, Yulo’s fate in his other bread-and-butter apparatus—the vault—boiled down to one last routine.

It was déjà vu in a span of two nights, one that Yulo won’t forget for long.

Plunging into action as the fourth gymnast in the eight-man Last Dance, Yulo scored a high 15.116 markers overall to bag the mint last night at the Bercy Arena.

Yulo’s magnificent stint in the French capital ended with a first-ever two-gold haul since the Philippines’s maiden appearance in the Games in 1924 in Paris.

It was also the country’s third gold overall after weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz broke an agonizing 96-year drought in Tokyo three years ago.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino was pleased no end this year’s Team Philippines has already made history with still 10 Pinoy bets in contention for medals— pole vaulter EJ Obiena, boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, tracksters John Cabang Tolentino and Lauren Hoffman, weightlifters John Ceniza, Elreen Andom and Vanessa Sarno, and golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina.

“Answered prayers,” Tolentino said. “We already broke the record in the Olympics, that’s it.”

Artur Davtyan of Armenia wound up with the silver with 14.966 points while Great Britain’s Harry Hepworth captured the bronze after coming up with 14.949.