By Dion Mikhail Fetalvero

PHOTO: International Gymnastics Federation

Carlos Yulo started his World Championships campaign on a high note as he booked three finals spots in the men’s parallel bars, floor exercise, and vault apparatus in the 50th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships qualifications in Kitakyushu, Japan, yesterday.
 
The Filipino gymnast posted the best marks in his parallel bars and floor exercise routines after securing the first-place position with a score of 15.566 and 15.166 respectively.
 
Fueled by his disappointing Tokyo Olympic stint where he failed to secure a finals podium, the Filipino Olympian aims to put himself back into the spotlight and get his groove going for his world championship routines.
 
“I wanted to step up my game. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes,” the 21-year-old gymnast said.
 
Meanwhile, the 4-foot-11 athlete clinched third place in the qualifications of the vault apparatus after recording a mark of 14.733 for his first vault and 14.883 in the second. The gymnast averaged a score of 14.808 behind Chepurnyi Nazar of Ukraine and Yang Hakseon of South Korea.
 
This mark was higher than his performance in the vault finals of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics where he settled for fourth place with a mark of 14.716.
 
The reigning champion in the floor exercise will compete again in the finals of the three apparatuses where he aims to defend his floor exercise title on Saturday and secure another podium position in the parallel bars and vault apparatus on Sunday.