Eldrew Yulo, the younger brother of double Olympic medalist Carlos Yulo, will be joining his bemedaled sibling in the seniors division. The 17-year-old gymnast announced the move at the conclusion of the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Newport, Pasay.
“Actually, we will be together, my elder brother Caloy (Carlos) and I in one team because I will be training and competing in the seniors next year,” said the younger Yulo. “I would also be targeting the Worlds and Asian Championship, possibly.
Double Bronze for Eldrew Yulo
Eldrew Yulo announced his ambitious move from the boys to the men after a successful showing at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships. The younger Yulo won bronze in the floor exercise—incidentally, Carlos’s pet event—and another bronze in the horizontal bar and nearly bagged another bronze in the vault, where he finished fourth.
Notably, Eldrew Yulo won his medals while dealing with pain in his right ankle, which he injured in the men’s all-around final on Friday after a deep landing in his first vault at the competition. But the 17-year-old Manileño shrugged off the injury and continued in his quest for gymnastics glory, ultimately earning himself two podium finishes.
Carlos and Eldrew Yulo: Soon-to-Be-Teammates But Also Rivals
With Eldrew Yulo moving to seniors, that means he will be teammates with older brother Carlos in the Philippine gymnastics team. But it will also mean the Yulos will be rivals as they will have to compete against each other even if they both represent the Three Stars and a Sun.
The younger Yulo, though, won’t just be competing with the elder Yulo. He will also be competing against the “ghost” of Carlos—meaning, the inevitable comparisons between the two talented young men. At the very least, it looks like Eldrew Yulo already knows what to do when people compare him to the golden boy of Philippine gymnastics: Don’t mind the noise.
“Just ignore. I mean, just focus on your goals,” Eldrew Yulo when asked about those comparisons. “We have different styles, we have different paths of life. So, kung ano man yung sinasabi ng ibang tao, I don’t care, sabi lang kayo nang sabi, I don’t care. Ganon lang.”
In due time, though, those different paths will converge, with the Yulo brothers set to become both teammates and rivals.
Is Eldrew Yulo ready for it? The gymnastics world will find out soon enough.
