Yulo: A cut above the rest

World champ dominates with 5-gold, 2-silver haul

HANOI – It’s “high-five” for Caloy Yulo in the 31st Southeast Asian Games.

The Filipino gymnast and two-time world champion wrote a perfect ending to his glorious campaign here yesterday by winning two more gold medals at the Quan Ngura Sports Palace here.

Triumphant in the men’s all-around, floor exercise and rings over the past three days, the 22-year-old wonder added the golds in the vault (14.800) and horizontal bar (13.867) before a highly appreciative crowd.

“I’m very happy,” said Yulo, who with five golds and the silvers in parallel bars (14.900) and team all-around will stand tallest among the 656-strong Philippine contingent, and perhaps even the entire Games.

Yulo is bound to receive cash incentives totalling P1.5 million representing P300,000 for each gold medal from the Philippine Sports Commission.

The gymnast who came from poor beginnings said he hasn’t spoken to any member of his family based in Leveriza, Manila.

“Nanonood siguro sila ngayon,” he said.

Yulo scored 13.867 in the horizontal bar and watched his Vietnamese counterpart, Ding Phuong Thanh, book an identical output.

They both received the gold while another Vietnamese, Thanh Tung Le, clinched the bronze medal with his 13.433.

Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion Norton thought Yulo had the better “landing” in the horizontal bar. But there was no point complaining.

“Caloy did very, very well,” she said.

Yulo’s remarkable performance, which surpassed his two-gold, five-silver output in the 2019 Manila SEA Games, will serve the Philippine campaign well as it enters the final week of competition here.

Gold winners, too

Sharing the golden moments with Yulo yesterday were Merwin Tan, who won the men’s singles in bowling; Clinton Kingsley Bautista in the men’s 100m hurdles; Jocelyn Ninobla in the individual recognized poomsae; swimmer Chloe Isleta in the women’s 200m backstroke; Mark Gayon and Mary Renigen in the single standard slow foxtrot in dance sport and the pair of Ana Nualla and Sean Aranar who were unstoppable in winning three gold medals in dancesport.

Ten gold medals is the biggest single-day production for Team Philippines here so far.

Nualla and Aranar put on their dancing shoes and flashed their biggest smiles to win the gold medals in single standard dance tango, single dance standard Viennese waltz and all five dances standard.

As of 8 p.m. yesterday, Team Philippines has breached the 100-medal mark with 30 golds, 32 silvers and 42 bronzes (104) but slipped back to third overall behind host Vietnam (80-50-53) and perennial Games winner Thailand (34-33-50).

Extra push

Adding silver medals to the gallant Philippine campaign were Aleah Finnegan Cruz, the gold medalist in women’s vault and this time winning the silver in the balance beam with a score or 12.367; fencer Nathaniel Perez who fought cramps and landed in the podium of the men’s individual foil; Aries Toledo in men’s decathlon; the men’s recognized poomsae team of Roldofo Rayes Jr., Rapahael Enrico Mella and Patrick King Perez; the mixed freestyle poomsae team of Janna Oliva, Juvenile Crisostomo, Justin Kobe Macario, Darius Venerable and Jeordan Dominguez; and Gayon and Renigen in waltz and quickstep in dancesport.

Contributing bronze medals as of presstime were fencers Gabriella Guinto, Ivy Claire Dinoy, Wilhelmina Lozada and Justine Gail Tinio in women’s epee; the men’s sabre team of Christian Jhester Concepcion, Daniel Eunice Villanueva, Sandro Antonio Sia and John Paul Dayro; gymnast Juancho Miguel Besana in men’s vault; Edgardo Alejan, Bernalyn Bejoy, Joyme Sequita and Giselle Lumapas in the mixed 4x400m relay; Francisco Solis in wushu men’s sanda 65kg; Clemente Tabugara Jr. in men’s sanda 70kg; Gideon Fred Padua in men’s sanda 60kg; Divine Wally in women’s sanda 48kg; and Jelly Dianne Paragile in women’s 100m hurdles.

Gilas survives scare

Elsewhere, the Gilas Pilipinas men’s and women’s squad pulled off contrasting victories that got their title retention drives going.

The men’s squad survived a big scare from Thailand before winning, 76-73, while the women’s team had more cushion in a 93-77 triumph over Indonesia.

The star-studded team of coach Chot Reyes watched as a potential game-tying triple by Thailand missed at the buzzer. Up next for the team that is mandated to win the gold here is Cambodia at 6 p.m. today (Manila time).

Ageless pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes, meanwhile, led the charge of the Pinoy cue artists following a 65-58 victory over Suriya Suwanasingh of Thailand.

The well-loved Reyes, at 67 perhaps the oldest participant here, is now in the semis of one-cushion carom and assured of a bronze.

The men’s volleyball team, which won the silver medal in 2019, bowed out early this time, dropping a 25-20, 29-27, 25-22 decision to a vengeful squad from Thailand.

In women’s team golf, Lois Kaye Go and Mikhaela Malixi rallied strong and led the Philippine team, the defending champion, past Indonesia, 2-0, and into the semis.

In boxing, featherweight Ian Clark Bautista was scheduled to face Mohammad Hanurdeen Bin of Malaysia while lightweight James Palicte was battling Vietnamese Vu Thanh Dat as of presstime to signal the start of the team’s title retention drive.