Filipino Gymnast Shows Promise in Global Arena
Young Filipino athlete Karl Eldrew Yulo demonstrated impressive skill and sportsmanship during the men's individual all-around finals at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships held on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The competition took place at the prestigious Manila Marriott Hotel within Newport World Resorts in Pasay City, where Yulo competed against top junior gymnasts from around the world.
Yulo's Performance and Future Events
Despite not reaching the podium, Yulo delivered a respectable performance that earned him 78.731 points, securing the eighth position among 24 finalists. The talented gymnast, who is the younger brother of Paris Olympics double-gold medalist Carlos Edriel Yulo, expressed satisfaction with his achievement. "I'm so happy even though I didn't make the Top 3, I still managed to finish at No. 8," Yulo stated after the competition.
The young athlete remains optimistic about his upcoming events, noting: "My confidence is high for my remaining three events. I'll just make some adjustments and go for cleaner executions." Yulo will continue his campaign in the championships with the floor exercise scheduled for Sunday, followed by the vault and horizontal bar competitions on Monday.
Yulo's previous international experience includes winning a silver medal in vault at the Asian Junior Championships held in Jecheon, South Korea last June, demonstrating his growing potential in the sport.
Championship Results and Other Filipino Competitors
The gold medal in the men's individual all-around event was claimed by neutral athlete Arsenii Dukhno with 82.031 points. Japanese gymnast Nao Ojima captured the silver medal with 81.799 points, while Chinese athlete Lanbin Yang took home the bronze with 81.099 points.
In the women's division, Filipino-American athlete Elisabeth Antone scored 47.632 points across four apparatuses: 12.600 in vault, 11.366 in uneven bars, 11.533 in balance beam, and 12.133 in floor exercise. Her performance placed her 37th overall, though she expressed some disappointment with her results. "I am disappointed a little bit and I know that I could have done better. I just want to improve for next time," Antone commented, noting differences between this competition and the Asian juniors in Korea.
Other Filipino competitors in the women's category included Maxine Bondoc, who finished 91st with 41.299 points, and Jellian Bantilan, who placed 107th with 39.199 points. None of the Filipino women athletes advanced to the all-around finals.
In the team rankings, France claimed the gold medal with 108.432 points, followed by Japan with the silver (107.930 points) and the United States with the bronze (106.230 points).
