Filipino gymnastics’ phenom Carlos Yulo hopes to inspire his teammates Juancho Miguel Besana and John Ivan Cruz whenever they train with him.
The 23-year-old Yulo said he should not be alone in the country’s quest for excellence in international competitions in gymnastics.
Yulo believes that the time is coming for Besana, Cruz, Justine Ace de Leon and Jan Timbang to finally step up and shine as well.
“Nandito lang po ako. Kapag nagpapa-praktis po, ini-inspire ko sila sa mga ginagawa ko,” said Yulo, who has been holding practices with the men’s team in Intramuros before leaving for Japan.
Yulo is set to return to Tokyo at the end of the month and resume his training with Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.
He is set to compete from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8 in Antwerp, Belgium, and seek qualification for the Paris Olympics.
In preparing for the Olympics, Yulo said he has refined his techniques in the parallel and high bars as well.
And this makes him more ready to qualify in more events in the Olympics and move higher in the world rankings as well.
“Mahirap sabihin na maka-No. 1, maybe top 5 sa worlds. Dapat dumaan sa proseso,” added Yulo.
During the Asian Championships in Singapore, Yulo claimed three golds, a silver and bronze.
On the other hand, Besana managed to place eighth in the vault, along with Cruz in the floor exercises.
In the recent Southeast Asian Games, Besana grabbed a gold in the vault, while Cruz topped the floor exercises.