Carlos Yulo shrugged off a sleepless night to win gymnastics gold in the men’s vault at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, 24 hours after claiming the floor title for a piece of Philippines sporting history.
“It’s crazy because last night I couldn’t sleep. I was so hyped because I had won that gold medal on floor,” the 24-year-old Yulo said.
“It still didn’t sink in. This morning I was so sleepy, I didn’t know what to do.”
Armenia’s Artur Davtyan took silver with Britain’s Harry Hepworth just denying his compatriot and vault world champion Jake Jarman for the bronze.
Prior to Yulo’s heroics in Paris, the Philippines had only ever won one gold medal at the Olympics.
He single handedly tripled that tally over one weekend with two stunning performances.
“I was just hoping to perform well (today). I didn’t really expect a medal. It really felt like a bonus for me,” he smiled, adding that he had grabbed some shut eye whenever he got the chance before the final.
“I slept in the bus, I slept after the podium training. I slept before going to the competition area. I kind of was napping for 15 to 20 minutes. I felt good after that and I just went for it.”
On the crest of a wave after Saturday’s floor title, Yulo leapt to the top of the leaderboard at the midway stage of the eight-man vault final.
His average from his two vaults gave him a score of 15.116.
Davtyan went last and nailed silver ahead of Olympic debutant Hepworth, whose bronze was Britain’s first Olympic medal in the men’s vault.
Yulo, who prevailed by 0.150 points, punched the air after executing a superb piked double front half-out move with only a small hop on landing that helped lift him to the top of the podium for the second time in a day.
Davtyan was left with a bitter-sweet taste after going so close to gold.
“I am a little bit disappointed because I wanted the gold medal. But I have the silver, I’m glad for that,” he said.
Hepworth meanwhile disclosed he was planning an extravagant evening’s entertainment to mark his bronze.
“I will have a full pizza in the Olympic Village. That’s how I will celebrate,” he laughed.
Honourable mention must go to Mahdi Olfati, representing Iran in the men’s vault final for the first time in 60 years, and who finished last but one.
