The 24-year-old gymnast delivered an outstanding routine at the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise final at the Bercy Arena in Paris

It was a proud moment for the Philippines as 24-year-old Olympian Carlos Edriel Yulo, fondly known as Caloy, delivered the Philippines’ first gold medal at this year’s Paris Olympics.

After the scores were flashed for the last floor exercise routine, Yulo turned emotional as he realized he had won gold.

Carlos Yulo olympics — An emotional moment as Carlos Yulo realizes his Olympic dream after clinching gold in the men’s floor exercise final. Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP

Carlos Yulo’s Olympic routine and podium finish

The third to perform among the eight gymnasts, Yulo achieved a total of 15.000 points for his performance.

In Olympic men’s floor gymnastics, the maximum score a gymnast can achieve is 16.000 points. This total is composed of two main components: the difficulty score, based on the complexity of the elements, and execution, which takes into account performance and artistry.

In Yulo’s Olympic floor exercise routine, he achieved a gravity-defying triple-twisting dismount with precision during his final tumbling pass—the last series in a floor routine and often the most complex part of a routine.

The triple-twisting dismount involves launching into the air, performing three complete rotations around the body’s longitudinal axis, completing a flip, and landing securely. As Yulo stuck the landing perfectly, he thrust his arms skyward and let out a triumphant roar.

“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always,” said Yulo. “He gave me the strength to get through this kind of performance and perform this well.”

Yulo was awarded by the Duke of Luxembourg, alongside Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat, the defending champion, who claimed silver with a score of 14.966, while Great Britain’s Jake Jarman took home a bronze at 14.933. They were also given boxes with posters of the Olympics along with their medals.

Carlos Yulo gold medal — Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat (silver), Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo (gold) and Britain’s Jake Jarman (bronze) pose during the podium ceremony. Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP

Journey to gold

In the weekend qualifications, Yulo demonstrated his versatility, amassing an impressive 83.631 points in the all-around competition. While Yulo excelled in these events, he missed advancing to the medal rounds in parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, and horizontal bars.

After seven years under Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, Yulo and his mentor parted ways last year, leaving the gymnast coachless for a period of time. During this time, Yulo trained in various gymnastics facilities worldwide, gaining valuable insights from different coaches and diverse training experiences. Currently, the artistic gymnast is under the guidance of head coach Aldrin Castañeda, his former coach as a junior gymnast.

Yulo is now the second Filipino athlete to win an Olympic gold, after Hidilyn Diaz’s milestone win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This is a great achievement, especially after the disappointment in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where, despite high expectations, Yulo failed to qualify for the floor exercise final due to a costly error in routine. He did, however, make the vault final, finishing fourth.

Yulo showcases particular talent in the vault and floor exercises and is a former world champion in floor exercise (Stuttgart, Germany, 2019).

Tomorrow, Aug. 4, 2024, Yulo will have another chance to win a second Olympic medal in the gymnastics vault finals.

It is a proud day in history for the Philippines, as the young gymnast from Malate brings home the country’s second-ever Olympic gold.