Aleah Finnegan and Kylee Kvamme will join Carlos Yulo in the global showdown set in Antwerp, Belgium in September after making the cut in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore on Friday, June 16.

Finnegan finished seventh in the women’s individual all-around with a total of 50.399 points and advanced to the apparatus finals of the vault, balance beam, and floor exercise.

The reigning Southeast Asian Games vault champion, Finnegan emerged as the second-best qualifier in the apparatus after earning an average of 13.533 points, just behind Korea’s Yeo Seojeong, who normed 13.683 points.

Finnegan then ranked seventh in balance beam with 12.833 points and netted 12.933 points for eighth place in floor exercise, where compatriot Emma Malabuyo also clinched a final berth after placing fifth with 13.033 points.

The top eight gymnasts in each apparatus (a maximum of two per federation) will advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, Kvamme caught the bus to the world championships after garnering 48.765 points for 14th place in the individual all-around.

Since there were seven higher-ranked gymnasts (three from China and two each from Korea and Chinese Taipei) who qualified for the worlds through the team event, Kvamme made the cut as one of the next-best eight gymnasts.

China bagged the team all-around gold with 163.529 points, while Korea (160.095) and Chinese Taipei (147.397) settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

The Philippines – also composed of Lucia Gutierrez and Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano – wound up at fifth place after posting 145.096 points.

Yulo looks to produce a pair of gold medals on Saturday as he competes in the men’s floor exercise and rings finals, while Finnegan eyes the women’s vault crown.

Also set on Saturday is the women’s floor exercise final, with Finnegan and Malabuyo seeking decent finishes. – Rappler.com

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Yulo claimed the men’s individual all-around silver in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore on Thursday, June 15, to secure his place in the World Championships in Belgium in September.

Japan completed the podium, with Shinnosuke Oka edging Yulo for the all-around gold with 86.065 points and Takeru Kitazono capturing the bronze with 85.431 points.

Needing just a top-eight ranking to punch his ticket to the worlds, which is the lone qualifying event for the Paris Games this year, Yulo duplicated his all-around silver in the last Asian championships.

The performance also earned the Filipino star spots in the apparatus finals in all but one of the six events in Singapore, finishing as the top qualifier in parallel bars, floor exercise, and vault to amass 85.93 points.

Yulo posted his best score in the parallel bars with a scintillating 15.066-point routine and tallied 14.966 and 14.866 points in the floor exercise and vault, respectively, to earn a shot at defending his throne in all three events.

The 23-year-old also won the parallel bars, floor exercise, and vault golds in the Asian championships in Qatar last year.

He lined himself up for a potential four-gold haul as he placed second in the rings qualification with 14.3 points and nailed another final berth in the horizontal bar.

Despite ranking ninth in the horizontal bar qualification with 13.466 points, Yulo still advanced to the medal round as the top eight gymnasts – with a maximum of two per federation – will qualify for the final.

China and Japan each had three gymnasts in the horizontal bar top eight, allowing Yulo to crack the final.

Yulo posted a respectable mark of 13.266 points in pommel horse for 16th place.

In the team event, Yulo and the Philippine men’s squad of Ivan Cruz, Juancho Miguel Besana, Justine Ace de Leon, and Jann Gwynn Timbang missed out on a spot in the world championships after finishing seventh overall.

The men’s crew totaled 237.193 points as China bagged the team all-around gold with 256.762 points followed by silver medalist Japan (256.694) and bronze medalist Kazakstan (246.828).

Besana, the only other Filipino besides Yulo to try all six apparatuses in the individual all-around, placed 28th with 73.531 points.

Yulo will return to action on Saturday, June 17, for the apparatus finals, a day after Aleah Finnegan and the Philippine women’s team take center stage on Friday. – Rappler.com

Yulo will compete in the men’s individual all-around final and men’s team all-around final together with Ivan Cruz, Juancho Miguel Besana, Justine Ace de Leon, and Jan Gwynn Timbang on Thursday with hopes of earning a spot in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

The 23-year-old Yulo needs a top-eight finish in the individual all-around to advance to the global gymnastics showdown in September in Antwerp, Belgium, where coveted berths in the 2024 Paris Olympics are at stake.

If the last Asian championships are any indication, Yulo is a cinch for the worlds after bagging the individual all-around silver in Doha, Qatar in 2022.

Yulo also eyes seats in the apparatus finals as he looks to replicate his dominant showing in the previous continental showpiece.

The Philippines finished with the second-most gold medals in Doha solely thanks to Yulo, who ruled the floor exercise, parallel bars, and vault.

Not to be undone, Cruz and Besana aim to contribute to the medal haul after bagging the floor exercise and vault golds in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

In the distaff side, Aleah Finnegan will fly the national colors together with Emma Malabuyo, Kylie Kvamme, Lucia Gutierrez, and Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano in the women’s individual and team all-around events on Friday, June 16.

Finnegan takes the lead after powering the women’s team to the all-around gold in the Vietnam SEA Games in 2022 and bagging the vault crown in the same event.

The Philippines received a major shot in the arm with the inclusion of Malabuyo, who previously represented the United States and got named as an alternate for its Olympic team in the Tokyo Games.

Kvamme is also a new addition to the team, while Manzano and Gutierrez were part of the gold-winning squad in the SEA Games. – Rappler.com

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MANILA, Philippines – It runs in the blood for Eldrew Yulo.

The younger brother of world champion gymnast Carlos, Eldrew bagged the vault silver in the men’s junior division of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore on Monday, June 12.

Eldrew amassed an average 13.775 points after scoring 13.85 and 13.7 points in his two vaults as he narrowly missed out on the gold, with China’s Wang Chengcheng taking the top prize via tiebreaker.

Wang also garnered a 13.775 average but clinched the gold after earning the highest score for either vaults – a 14.05 grade in his first attempt.

Kazakhstan’s Altynkhan Temirbek snagged bronze with a 13.65 average.

Eldrew also competed in the floor exercise final on Monday, finishing seventh out of the eight finalists after posting 12 points in the event ruled by Japan’s Haruki Fukubayashi (13.7 points).

The 15-year-old Yulo, who is coached by two-time Southeast Asian Games floor exercise champion Reyland Capellan, wound up 15th overall in the individual all-around final out of 42 entries on Friday.

His silver feat came just days before Carlos and the national men’s senior artistic gymnastics team begin their campaign in the continental showdown on Thursday, June 15.

Carlos is expected to contend for golds in the individual all-around, vault, floor exercise, and parallel bars as he shoots for a spot in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where he looks to punch his Paris Olympics ticket.

On Sunday, 13-year-old Elaiza – the youngest of the three Yulos in the Asian championships – bowed out in the women’s junior class together with compatriot Haylee Garcia. – Rappler.com

Younger Yulos: Eldrew, Elaiza banner PH juniors in Asian Gymnastics Championships

Yulo, the younger sister of Eldrew and Carlos, had her best outing in the floor event with 10.9 points, only good for 28th out of 38 participants.

Unfortunately, the competition proved that Yulo still has a lot to improve on as the 13-year-old lagged dead last in vault (19th, 11.5 points) and uneven bars (37th, 6.9), while placing 37th out of 41 in beam (9.05).

Garcia, meanwhile, only saw action in the floor exercise (10.5) and vault (10.8 points).

Overall, Yulo placed 34th out of 41 in all-around with 38.1 points, while Garcia settled for 39th with 21.3.

Much like the men’s juniors division, Japan also ruled the women’s juniors individual all-around as Haruka Nakamura copped gold with 51.5 points, edging China’s Zhuofan Tian’s 50.3 total.

Japan and China also figured in a 1-2 finish in team all-around with 151.45 and 150.6 points, respectively.

The Asian Championships, however, are far from over for the Yulo family as Eldrew earned two finals berths in floor and vault.

Carlos, meanwhile, is expectedly tabbed to be one of the strongest competitors once the seniors tournament kicks off on Thursday, June 15.

Eldrew is on deck next as the juniors finals start on Monday, June 12. – Rappler.com

The younger brother of world champion gymnast Carlos, Yulo shone in his pet events as he secured top-eight finishes in the floor exercise and vault to earn a pair of finals berths.

Yulo, 15, placed fourth in vault with an average score of 13.45 points and wound up at sixth in floor exercise with 13.25 points.

The only Filipino competing in the men’s junior division, Yulo finished 15th in the individual all-around final out of 42 entries as he garnered a total of 73.9 points.

He scored 12.15 points in rings (16th), 11.85 points in horizontal bar (23rd), 12.15 points in parallel bars (25th), and 10.9 points in pommel horse (29th).

Japan dominated the competition as Masaharu Tanida (79.9 points) and Rento Noda (79.8 points) bagged the all-around gold and silver, respectively.

Korea’s Moon Geonyoung clinched the all-around bronze with 78.65 points.

Yulo shoots for a place atop the podium as he competes in the floor exercise and vault finals on Monday, June 12.

But first, another Yulo will see action on Sunday, June 11, as 13-year-old Elaiza represents the country together with Haylee Garcia in the women’s junior all-around final and apparatus qualification.

Carlos, meanwhile, will take center stage on Thursday, June 15. – Rappler.com

It is not just Carlos who will compete in the continental showpiece as his younger brother Karl Eldrew and younger sister Elaiza Andriel see action in the juniors level over the weekend in Singapore.

Coached by two-time Southeast Asian Games floor exercise champion Reyland Capellan, 15-year-old Eldrew is the only Filipino who will participate in the men’s junior on Saturday, June 10.

Thirteen-year-old Elaiza, meanwhile, will represent the country together with Haylee Garcia in the women’s junior on Sunday.

“Our expectation is for our two girls to hit their routines as clean and flawless as possible,” said Dico Ili, who coaches Elaiza in the national team and in the club level for Alpha Gymnastics Philippines.

“Hopefully, we would be able to get [in the middle] since we’re up against 50-plus gymnasts. That is our realistic goal. But of course, we want to reach the event finals, and hopefully, get in the top 10 or the podium, God willing.”

While much of the attention will be on Carlos as he tries to qualify for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium, and eventually, the Paris Olympics, both Elaiza and Eldrew look to make a name for themselves.

The two made waves in the JRC Artistic Gymnastics Stars Championships in Thailand in November, with Elaiza dominating the field as she captured golds in the individual all-around, vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise.

Eldrew bagged six medals, winning gold in floor exercise, silvers in individual all-around, vault, parallel bars, and pommel horse, and bronze in still rings.

“We’re really trying to establish the name of Yza on her own first. We want her to create that legacy – yes, she is a Yulo, but she has to make a mark being Elaiza,” said Ili.

Fifty-five gymnasts from 14 countries will compete in the men’s junior, while 51 gymnasts from 13 countries will see action in the women’s junior. – Rappler.com

Performing last in an eight-woman field comprising the best young gymnasts in Asia, Ramilo dazzled the home crowd with a perfect performance and snuck to the podium with 27.30 points, dislodging Kyrgyzstan’s Saiana Sarynzhieva (26.65) for third place.

Much like the seniors division of the continental meet, Uzbekistan also exerted its dominance in the juniors ranks, as Lola Djuraeva copped gold with 31.05 points. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Aiym Meirzhanova settled for silver with 29.15 points.

Born and raised in Rome, Italy to Filipino immigrants, Ramilo is ecstatic that in her first visit to the Philippines, she was able to represent the country well and immediately win a medal – the Philippines’ only podium finish in the four-day event.

“I was really happy, obviously, and I’m very honored to represent the Philippines,” said the 15-year-old pride of Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur. “I was anxious because I was the last to go, but [thankfully, I won.]”

Ramilo then competed in the ribbon final immediately after the clubs round and placed fifth out of eight with 24.95 points.

Coached by Italian mentor Claudia Mancinelli, Ramilo will now take her time to celebrate her win before returning to train and compete in Italy.

Meanwhile, Breanna Labadan returned for an encore in the seniors division ball event final, unfortunately settling for last among eight other standouts with 28.75 points.

The 16-year-old, however, is already assured of her second career World Championships stint in Valencia, Spain in August after placing sixth overall in the four-apparatus, all-around qualification round, where she also emerged as the best Southeast Asian performer.

Other Filipina gymnasts who competed in the event were former SEA Games gold medalist Daniela dela Pisa and Trisha Montifalcon. – Rappler.com