FRESH off a successful stint at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Philippine gymnastics brothers Carlos and Eldrew Yulo launch their historic campaign together at the FIG Artistic World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam on Sunday.
The duo will jump straight into the men’s individual all-around qualification round starting at 4 p.m., Philippine time, marking the first time the siblings are competing side-by-side at the world championships level.
“Competing together [with Eldrew] is really natural for me, and our dynamics are like a balance of him not focusing and myself being focused, but in my mind, I’m neutral, but he’s having fun, for me, it’s a good balance,” Carlos told Inside Gymnastics in an interview video posted on Thursday.
Eldrew, on the other hand, said he is happy to earn his spot in the tournament.
“I’m just happy to be earning that spot. I’m just happy to be here competing beside him and competing alongside Olympians. Of course, it really inspires me so much and he (Carlos) inspires me because I looked up to him when I was little, before he became an Olympian and later an Olympic champion, and he inspired me so much,” he said.
Carlos, who won gold medals in the Olympic, Asian and Southeast Asian Games, said he continues to aim for the all-around title.
“I’m still aiming for all-around, I know it’s [a] really, really tough goal for me, and there’s a lot of good gymnasts, but for me, I’m gonna focus on what I can, and I’m hoping and praying [to] get at least second or third, I don’t know ... Who knows, in the finals, anything can happen. I’m hoping for the best,” he said.
In last year’s World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, Carlos won a gold medal in the men’s vault and a bronze medal in the men’s floor exercise.
Eldrew, on the other hand, won two bronze medals in the Junior World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held on home soil in Pasay City, in the boys’ floor exercise and horizontal bar.
In June, three months before the Asian Games, both brothers shared the podium in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zunyi, China, with Carlos winning gold and Eldrew winning bronze in the men’s floor exercise.
At the Asian Games, Carlos won two gold medals in the floor exercise and vault, the same two events he won two years ago at the Paris Olympics, while Eldrew captured the bronze medal in the horizontal bar.
The brothers are joined by Juancho Miguel Besana, a horizontal bar event specialist in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Qualifications.
“I’m grateful to get to qualify in these World Championships, even though I’m only competing as a high bar specialist,” Besana said in a video message posted by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines on Friday.
“I’ll do my best to showcase what the Philippines can do, so continue to give us your support and pray for us to have a safe competition. Laban, Pilipinas!” Besana, who is taking part in his second World Championships, added.
Meanwhile, Haylee Garcia, who will take part in the women’s events, finished her podium training on Friday and will be taking part in the qualifications on Monday.
Just like the Yulo brothers, both Besana and Garcia also competed in the recently concluded Asian Games in Nagoya.
The FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships takes place in Rotterdam in the Netherlands from Oct. 17 to 25.
