Carlos Yulo is determined to move on from his Tokyo Olympics stint when he eyes to defend his title in this 50th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on Oct. 18 to 24 in Kitakyushu, Japan.
Based on recent social media posts of Yulo and his Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, the 21-year-old has been polishing his routines in the floor exercise where he is the reigning world champion.
Yulo was the heavy favorite to win the Olympic gold in the said apparatus last month, but mistakes early in his routine proved costly that made him unable to advance in the medal round.
After the Olympics, Yulo reportedly went back to work to perfect his routine for future tournaments including the world championships.
“Babalik po kaming malakas!” Yulo wrote in one of his social media posts shortly after the Olympics.
In 2019, Yulo made heads turn when he became the first Filipino and male Southeast Asian gymnast to win the world title in the floor exercise in Stuttgart, Germany.
Aside from the floor exercise, Yulo aims to make an impression on the vault, where he finished a surprising fourth in the Tokyo Olympics.
The world championships were originally scheduled in Copenhagen, Denmark before the host country withdrew in July 2020. In November 2020, the international gymnastics federation (FIG) announced Kitakyushu as the replacement for the same dates.
Although the world championships were traditionally not held in Olympic years, the Tokyo Olympics postponement caused the 2021 event to fall during the same year.