FURTHER GROWING his all-time great status, Filipino Olympic legend Carlos Yulo conquered the Gymnastics Men’s Vault Final en route to his unprecedented second gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 24-year-old virtuoso added to his remarkable Olympic hardware earlier tonight at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France.

The stars aligned for the Filipino gymnast as Yulo came into the contest with a successful history in the event. The vault was the lone apparatus he qualified for during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing just one place shy of a medal at fourth. He also previously brought home gold medals in the event during the 2021 World Championships, as well as in both the 2022 and 2023 Asian Championships.

Entering the competition as the fourth gymnast to perform, Yulo took his difficulty score up a notch with a piked Drăgulescu vault, a double front tucked with a half twist. Matching his D-Score in spectacular execution, he secured a score of 15.433 for his first vault.

Not needing much to overtake his first three opponents, the 24-year old immediately followed up his initial vault with a double twisting kasamatsu, which gained him 14.800 points for his second vault.

Both attempts earned Yulo a combined average score of 15.116 without incurring any penalties.

By the midway point of the competition, no other gymnast drew near to Yulo’s score, immediately ensuring a medal for the Filipino prodigy. With only Armenia’s Artur Davtyan in Yulo’s way, the Philippines breathed a sigh of relief as the final competitor’s final tally was only good enough for silver, securing yet another gold medal for Yulo.

Yulo’s exceptional Olympic run currently places the Philippine Centennial Team at 19th in the official medal tally, with medals from virtual podium finishers Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio still waiting in the wings.