As if one gold medal was not enough.
Gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines took home the gold medal in the men's vault at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, August 5, his second gold in as many days.
Yulo doubled his Olympic gold medals over 24 hours after being the first Filipino to win an Olympic gymnastics title by winning the floor exercise final.
Still rejoicing from the golden triumph on Saturday, the 24-year-old Yulo averaged 15.116 points to win the top prize in the vault, igniting another Philippine celebration for the second straight night.
Stress-free vault
“Winning yesterday took away all of my stress,” Yulo told reporters in Paris.
With only a tiny step back, Yulo executed his first Dragulescu vault in the tuck position, earning a whopping 15.433 points from the judges.
Putting his hands on his head, Yulo let out a sigh of relief, and bowed in front of the audience as the event's final scores were revealed after his second vault earned him 14.800, giving him an average of 15.116.
Yulo, who was first discovered in the Palarong Pambansa, became a member of a select group of Filipino athletes who have won several Olympic medals, which also includes weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso.
Most notably, he became the first-ever double gold winner for the Philippines.
No rest for the weary
Following his monumental victory in the floor exercise, Yulo disclosed that he barely had any sleep ahead of the vault 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," he revealed.
"I was just hoping to perform well (today). I didn't really expect a medal. It really felt like a bonus for me," added Yulo
Floor exercise and vault are Yulo’s pet events, having been a former world champion in both apparatuses. Earlier in the Paris Games, the Filipino finished 12th in the all-around event last week.
