Russian bet Arsenii Dukhno was among those tipped to win another podium finish in the floor exercises of the ongoing 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships.
But when the 17-year-old Dukhno messed up his landing, fortune smiled on Karl Eldrew Yulo, as the top Filipino bet went on to grab the bronze medal Sunday at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.
The 16-year-old Yulo, who performed on a lower difficulty level than his opponents after hurting his right ankle during Saturday’s qualifiers, took it slow and easy as he finished second during the first two rotations.
Praying and waiting to know his fortunes after Dukhno’s performance, Yulo shed tears of joy, when he finally learned that he settled for third place with his 13.733 score.
“Kagat labi na lang ako kanina. Napapaisip ako na kapag nag-fifth or fourth ako, at least I did my best, na lumaban pa rin ako, kahit may iniinda ako,” said Yulo, who played with the same difficulty setting of 5.3, which he had during the all-around and with his points’ tally lower than Friday’s 14.3.
Dukhno’s misfortune came a day after he won the all-around crown with 82.031 points, followed in second by Japanese bet Nao Ojima with 81.799, and Yang Lanbin in third with 81.099
Yang grabbed the gold with a 13.833, his second medal after his all-around bronze.
Simone Speranza of Italy got a 13.766 for the silver medal, just a fraction ahead of Yulo
Dukhno, who performed a high difficulty of 5.9, settled for fourth after he completed a two-and-a-half tumble and twist, and then made a sidestep when he landed, and got penalized with 0.1 points
“Masakit pa rin siya. But I still managed to compete with it, and still get a medal,” added Yulo, who put his right ankle on ice to keep the swelling down.
On Saturday, Yulo hurt his ankle after his first event in the vault, collecting 78.731 after six rotations, for overall eighth place in the all-around.
Yulo said he felt pain on his right ankle moments after he lifted during the vault exercise. He was penalized 0.3 points for his shaky landing.
“Nakakaiyak. Sobra. Siyempre, start pa lang ng journey ko. Marami pa akong disappointments at happy moments na dadaanan,” said Yulo, who executed a double layout for safer landing this time around.
On Monday, Yulo will seek to make podium finishes in the vault and horizontal bar, hoping to make adjustments due to his condition.
