Carlos Yulo back in Japan for Olympics training amid hand injury

MANILA, Philippines – Carlos Yulo has returned to Japan to resume his training for this July’s Tokyo Olympics and at the same time heal a cut in the hand he sustained in the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique Apparatus World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan over the weekend.

“He is back in Japan and he will focus back on training,” said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion. “Unfortunately, he (Yulo) got injured in the wrist and cut his hands so he did not perform very well.”

Yulo intentionally skipped his pet floor exercise event where he emerged the world champion in Stuttgart, Germany last year to hide his brand new routine that he is expected to perform in Tokyo.

Instead, the pocket-sized 20-year-old Leveriza, Manila native competed in the parallel bars and vault where she suffered the cut.

The finals originally set Sunday was then cancelled as all participants were sent home due to the pandemic.

Even though Yulo’s performance was off, his true intention was just to scout the opposition and gauge their real strength.

“Important for us is that we saw his competitors in the Olympics,” said Carrion.

Yulo is the country’s best hope to end the long wait for that elusive first Olympic gold following a performance to remember in Stuttgart where he booked a spot to the quadrennial summer games.

Pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno later on joined Yulo in Tokyo.

Yulo was with countrymen Jag Timbang and Ace de Leon, who have both returned home in the Philippines. Timbang competed in the floor exercise and vault while de Leon in the floor.

"All in all, we're very nervous but did quite well. Best score was 14:166 and lowest 11:066 and Jag 12:650 and Ace 12:133," said Carrion.

Carrion, however, rued the lockdown of the training center inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex due to the COVID-19 outbreak may hamper the training of the local-based national gymnasts.

“There is a lockdown in our gym so how can we prepare our athletes. One day without training is a big deal. All other countries, their facilities are open for training except the Philippines,” she said.