Yulo snares two bronze medals in All-Japan event

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning world champion Caloy Yulo is slowly but surely getting into fine form and on track for a golden performance in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Three months after a disappointing effort in the 2020 All-Japan Seniors Championship, the 20-year-old Yulo came in a bit more polished in plucking two bronze medals in the floor exercise and vault events of the 74th All Japan Gymnastics Championship at the Takasaki Arena yesterday.

In the floor exercise where he won a world title in Stuttgart, Germany last year, Yulo ended third with a total score of 15.200, finishing behind Japanese Kasuki Minami’s 15.600 and World Juniors gold medalist Ryosuke Doi’ 15.300, the eventual gold and silver winners.

Yulo, who raked in two gold and five silver medals in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Manila, added a bronze in the vault where he tallied 14.866.

Hidenobu Yonekura took the gold with 15.133 while Keisuke Asato the silver with 15.083.

In last September’s All Japan Seniors, Yulo also came through with a bronze in the vault but had a dismal tied for 19th finish in his favorite event floor exercise.

The Filipino bet was a lot more competitive in the All-Japan Championship.

The pocket-sized wonder from Leveriza, Manila also improved in the individual all-around as he finished eighth from 12th in the previous competition.

Yulo is one of the four Filipinos who have already claimed berths in Tokyo with the others being pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno.