BECAUSE of the overlapping schedules of two major international events next year, Carlos Yulo will be forced to skip the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games to compete in the 52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, a qualifying meet for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“The two important events for Caloy next year are the Asian gymnastics championships, which is a qualifying competition for the world championships, and the world championship, which is an Olympic qualifying event,” Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya said in an online interview with Yulo last Monday.
Kugimiya, who groomed the Pinoy athlete into a world-class gymnast, revealed his plans for his prized ward for next year shortly after Yulo competed in the world meet that ended over the weekend in Liverpool, England.
It would be virtually impossible for Yulo to compete in both competitions since the Hangzhou Asiad is set from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, 2023 while the world championships will be held in Antwerp, Belgium from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8.
Kugimiya said aside from the Asian and world gymnastics competitions, the country’s most bemedaled athlete in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games last May is also lined up for four international tournaments from February to April 2023 as part of his Olympic build-up.
The first stop of the FIG World Cup will be from Feb. 23 to 26 in Cottbus, Germany; the next one from March 1 to 4 in Doha, Qatar; third in Baku, Azerbaijan from March 3 to 9 in Baku, Azerbaijan; and the last from April 24 to 27 in Cairo, Egypt.
Gymnastics head Cynthia Carrion said Yulo, who won five gold and two silver medals in the Vietnam SEA Games, is certain to compete in the 32nd SEA Games in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap from May 5 to 17, 2023.
