World champion Carlos Edriel Yulo bags the gold medal in the men’s rings on May 15. Inquirer/ANN Photo

Thanh Hà

fcProving that gymnastics is a gold mine for Team Philippines, Carlos Edriel Yulo won two gold medals and Filipino-American Aleah Finnegan took another on May 15 in Hà Nội.

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

He grabbed 15.200 points for his second gold of the meet, highlighting his all-around triumph. Singapore’s Terry Tay Wei An took silver (14.033) and Vietnamese Trịnh Hải Khang bagged the bronze (14.000).

Yulo followed up the performance with an impressive triumph in rings for his third gold medal. The 22-year-old scored 14.400 to defeat two Vietnamese athletes, Nguyễn Văn Khánh Phong (13.800) and Lê Thanh Tùng, to hold the bench lead.

He said he was very happy because he didn’t expect to win. But he was proud of his performance. He will see action in the high bar, parallel bar and vault.

Then Finnegan took the spotlight 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 campaign of hometown hero Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Như, who settled for silver with 13.033.

Việt Nam had one new champion in gymnastics yesterday after Đặng Ngọc Xuân Thiện triumphed in the pommel horse event. Thiện won 14.400 points to take the top podium.

Tan Fu Jie and Muhammad Sharul Aimy both of Malaysia came second and third, respectively. 

In the uneven bars, Rachel Yeoh Li Wen of Malaysia took the gold, followed by Phạm Như Phương of Việt Nam and Nadine Joy Nathan from Singapore.