Carlos Yulo braces for three competitions in the second half of the year, beginning with the All-Japan Seniors in September and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, United Kingdom in October.
The 22-year-old Yulo rides on the momentum he gained following a successful campaign in the 9th Asian Senior Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar with three gold medals, namely in floor exercise, vault, and parallel bars, and silver in the all-around apparatus.
The Tokyo Olympic gymnast, taking it one competition at a time, is a man on a mission as he aims for the bigger picture in joining the Paris Games in 2024.
For now though, he has set sights on defending his World Championships gold medal in vault and dominating the parallel bars this time around since settling for a silver finish in the 2021 edition in Kitakyushu, Japan.
The country's top gymnast also has the chance to redeem himself and reclaim the floor exercise title which he first won in the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.
At this point, Yulo has not much to say on his self-assessment but disclosed his attempt to add "new elements" in his vault and parallel bars performances in the World Championships.
"Di ko pa alam kung magiging ilang percentage po ako ngayon. Pero feeling ko, bababa po 'yon by that time pero para naman po 'yon sa Olympics, lahat ng ginagawa namin," said Yulo yesterday during a press conference and victory party at the Heritage Hotel Manila in Pasay City
"Lahat naman po ng competitions mahirap. Wala pong pinipili gaya ng SEA (Southeast Asian) Games or Asian Championship. Four days straight 'yong competition. Pare-parehas po silang mahirap."
In the All-Japan Seniors, Yulo is also expected to rule the floor exercise anew since bagging the gold last year. He also won bronze medal in the vault.
Yulo, before returning to Japan, took a much-needed breather to spend time with his family and said he's now all-set for training camp with a "refreshed mindset."
After the World Championships in Liverpool, which spans Oct. 26 to Nov. 6, Yulo will also represent his Japanese club in a team event in December.