Carlos Yulo wins Olympic gold medal with near-flawless floor exercise performance

MANILA, Philippines -- Golden Boy, indeed.

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo made history Saturday night (Manila time), bringing home a gold medal in the men’s floor exercise in the 2024 Olympics -- the first mint for the Philippines in Paris.

Yulo, the greatest gymnast the Philippines has ever produced, finally copped the elusive medal with a near-perfect routine.

Carlos Yulo secures Philippines first GOLD medal at #Paris2024! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/naCxfMpDMw

Performing third in the exercise, the 24-year-old had immense pressure following great performances by Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Artem Dolgopyat and silver winner Rayderley Zapata.

Zapata had a great routine that scored 14.333, while Dolgopyat notched 14.966.

Then, Yulo entered the mat.

Oozing with confidence, the Philippine bet showcased a routine that razzled and dazzled fans across the globe.

The judges then gave him 8.400 for execution and 6.600 for difficulty to hand him a score of 15.000, which was met by an ecstatic scream by Yulo.

Gymnast after gymnast performed, and after the score of final athlete, Great Britain's Luke Whitehouse, was announced at 14.466, an emotional Yulo sank to the floor and broke down in tears.

Israel’s Dolgopyat, the defending champion, brought home the silver medal; while Jake Jarman (14.933), who had scored highest in qualifying a week ago, settled for bronze.

Yulo is just the Philippines' second Olympic champion in history following weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who broke the country’s gold medal drought in the 2021 edition of the Games in Tokyo.

He can still add another medal as he competes in the men’s vault finals.

The coveted Olympic gold is the icing on the cake for the Malate, Manila-born Yulo, a two-time world champion and multiple Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games gold medal winner.