DON’T expect Carlos Edriel Yulo to dominate the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games men’s artistic gymnastic competitions in May, just like he did in the Vietnam edition of the meet in Hanoi last year.
National men’s team coach Munehiro Kugimiya revealed that while all the other countries can compete in all seven MAG events, they will be limited to only two medal events, in this case the men’s team and individual all-around.
“So even if Caloy can compete in all seven events, he and the entire team will only be credited with golds in the men’s team and all-around because that is the competition ruling of the organizers,” Kugimiya, who was in the country during the Christmas holidays, bared.
Because of this development, the pint-sized gymnastics phenom won’t be able to duplicate the five golds and two silvers he won in the Vietnam SEA Games where he emerged as the country’s most bemedalled athlete.
In a spectacular performance at the Quang Ngua Sports Palace in downtown Hanoi, Yulo took the mints in the individual all-around, floor, rings, vault and horizontal bar plus a pair of silvers in the men’s team and parallel bars.
The Cambodian hosts had also scrapped the women’s artistic gymnastics competitions where Pinay gymnasts, led by Fil-Am Aleah Finnegan, were good for two gold and two silver medals in Vietnam.
Counting the output of the women’s squad, the country emerged a strong second overall in the field of eight squads in the sport with seven gold and four silver medals behind the Vietnamese hosts (7-7-8).
Kugimiya and Yulo were among those honored during the recent awards rites organized by KD Management and the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines at the Heritage Hotel ballroom in Pasay City.
