MANILA, Philippines – World champion gymnast Carlos Yulo has skipped the fourth and final leg of the 2023 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup series in Cairo to heal a left ankle he sprained just before his scheduled flight to Egypt.
“Unfortunately, Carlos is not here as he sprained his ankle and his doctor in Japan did not want him to come and I found out when I was here already,” said Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion-Norton, who was in Cairo.
Carrion-Norton, however, assured Yulo should be ready in time for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games set May 5 to 17 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where the latter have a chance to snare a maximum of four gold medals.
The pocket-sized wonder from Leveriza in Manila, who snared five gold and two silvers in last year’s Hanoi Games, is scheduled to see action in the individual all-around, team, parallel bars and horizontal bars.
Yulo is also participating in the Asian Championship in June in Singapore that serves as a doorway to the World Championships in September in Antwerp, Belgium.
Carrion Norton said fans in Cairo were disappointed Yulo was not able to see action but she said they don’t want to risk the latter’s injury from being aggravated.
“Carlos will be in the SEA Games and Asian Championships but he needed rest for the World Cup that is more stressful, everyone here agreed he should rest his ankle,” said Carrion Norton.