SEA Games: Carlos Yulo gets third gold medal with impressive win in rings

Carlos Yulo during his still rings routine in the 31st SEA Games.

HANOI — Gymnastics proved to be a gold mine for Team Philippines with Carlos Edriel Yulo capturing two and Fil-American Aleah Finnegan one on Sunday here in the 31st Southeast Asian Games.

Yulo, the two-time world champion, opened day’s competition at Quan Ngua Sports Palace with electrifying performance in floor exercise, the event he won the 2019 Worlds.

He followed up the performance with an impressive triumph in rings for his third gold medal. The 22-year-old Yulo scored 14.400 to defeat two Vietnamese to hold the bench lead.

“I’m very happy, I didn’t expect to win. But I’m proud of my performance,” said Yulo in Filipino. He will see action in high bar, parallel bar and vault.

He was unmatched with 15.200 points for his second gold of the meet counting his all-around triumph. Singapore’s Terry Tay Wei An took silver (14.033) and Trinh Hai Khang bagged the bronze (14.000).

Then Finnegan took the spotlight to her herself in the women’s vault, compiling 13.133 points from the event that she helped the United States national team win the Pan American Games back in 2019.

The 19-year-old Missouri native foiled the campaigns of hometown bet Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu who settled for silver with 13.033.

Yulo, who won his first gold in the men’s all-around on Friday, could only finish sixth in pommel horse while Finnegan placed fifth in uneven bars in their other events of the day.

The victories brought the medal harvest for Philippine gymnastics to five golds and two silvers with one more day left in artistic discipline.

Inquirer’s special coverage of the Hanoi SEA Games 2021.