MANILA, Philippines – Filipino champion gymnast Caloy Yulo will be skipping the Hangzhou Asian Games to join the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, which serves as one of the doorways to next year’s Paris Olympics.
“He (Yulo) is not joining the Asian Games as it is the same time as the Belgium World Championships,” said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion-Norton.
The Hangzhou tilt is set September 23 to October 8, which will be in direct conflict with the Antwerp meet slated September 30 to October 10.
Interestingly, the pocket-sized dynamo from Leveriza, Manila has yet to win in the Asiad.
It would have been fitting if the two-time World champion and 2022 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games quintuple gold winner could add one glittering gold to his massive collection.
But the Olympics is bigger and grander and it was but natural to pick the one that had eluded him in the 2021 Tokyo Games where he failed on his golden bid despite being a favorite in the floor exercise.
There’s always a next time though.
Carrion-Norton, however, assured Yulo will be there in the Phnom Penh SEA Games scheduled May 5 to 17 even though he would be allowed to bring home a maximum of two gold medals even if he sweeps all his seven events due to the unfair restrictions set by the hosts.
“He is joining. We’re doing it out of sportsmanship and for the sport that we love,” said Carrion Norton.