TOKYO—Carlos Yulo missed landing a medal in men’s vault of gymnastics on Monday night as the entire nation sets its sights on Nesthy Petecio who shoots for a gold medal in women’s featherweight of boxing and EJ Obiena in men’s pole vault of athletics on Tuesday.
A misstep in the first vault cost Yulo the bronze medal as he finished fourth in the eight-gymnast final dominated by South Korea’s Shin Jeahwan.
“I went outside in my landing in my first vault,” the 21-year-old Yulo said. “Had I not done that, it would have helped me land a medal because I did better in my second vault.”
Yulo earned 14.566 in his first vault—a López (roundoff, back handspring with half turn entry and front layout somersault with half twist), but was excellent with a final-best second vault of 14.866—a Dragulescu (a handspring double front with half turn)—for a total 14.716 performance.
Jeahwan lived up to his billing and won the gold medal with 14.783, followed by Russian Olympic Committee’s Denis Ablizian for the silver also with 14.783 but with an inferior score in his second vault. Armenia’s Artur Davtyan snatched the bronze medal with 14.733.
“I was that close,” said Yulo, the 2019 men’s floor exercise world champion. “It’s really disappointing."
Petecio? The boxer from Davao del Sur goes for all the marbles—and a share of Philippine sports immortality alongside weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz—when she fights a familiar foe, Japan’s Sena Irie. The Petecio-Irie fight is set at 12:05 p.m. (Manila time).
A victory by Petecio will mean an unprecedented performance by the Philippines, which will be having as least two gold medals in these Tokyo Games after Diaz’s historic feat in women’s -55 kgs of weightlifting two Mondays ago.
Also on Tuesday, Carlo Paalam eyes a slot in the men’s flyweight medal round when he battles Olympic and world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan at 10:15 a.m. (Manila time).
“This means a lot to me, it’s my dream and this as importantly my father’s dream,” Petecio said. “A victory will not only be for me but for my family, and to Filipinos who pray for me.”
Obiena is out to pick up from his crucial final vault in the qualifying Saturday as he goes for Olympic glory on Tuesday night at the Japan Olympic Stadium.
In his third and final attempt in the qualifying, Obiena cleared 5.75m to join 11 others in the showdown for the ultimate prize. For Team EJ, the last vault is all that matters.
“Erase na yung nangyari sa qualifying, back to zero, start from scratch,” said coach Emerson Obiena, pointing out his son is determined to make up for his disappointing start Saturday.
The Pinoy vaulter said he’s “chillin” ahead of his big day in the national stadium.
The Tokyo heat, meanwhile, got the better of Kristina Marie Knott as she bowed out from the women’s 200-meter run on Monday.
The 25-year-old Knott clocked 23.80 seconds and placed last among five competitors in Heat 7 topped by American Jenna Prandini, who clocked 22.56.
When all the times from the 41 runners were collated, the Fil-American Knott finished 37th, out of the magic semifinal circle.
"This is her first Olympic Games. She could have been battling a lot of things. It could have been the extreme heat. It could have been nerves. I'm not trying to pinpoint an excuse, or give a set of answers. It was an awful performance. It wasn't what we expected. But people need to realize this is the world stage,” said Knott’s coach Roshaan Griffin.
