A rising Filipino-British gymnast may prove to be one of Carlos Yulo’s biggest rivals in the Paris Olympics, especially in his pet events. Get to know why.
With Carlos Yulo now qualified for the Paris Olympics’ floor, vault, and all-around categories in men’s artistic gymnastics, a new face has emerged as a medal contender in the Filipino’s favorite events in Great Britain’s Jake Jarman.
Born to an English father and Cebuana mother, 22-year-old Jarman is Team GB’s gymnastics prodigy who’s making his Olympics debut in Paris. Like Yulo, gymnastics has been a part of his whole life. He picked up the sport as a six-year-old, and was a competitor in regional meets as a teenager.
In 2018, he won gold in vault, and silver in the all-around exercises of the British Championships. That same year, he was also part of the UK’s juniors team in the European Championships, helping them finish second behind Russia while winning silver for vault himself.
Now competing at the senior level, Jarman continues to represent Team GB in gymnastics tilts, including the FIG World Cup for Artistic Gymnastics and the European Championships.
Showdown in pet events
It’s worth noting Jarman won gold in vault in the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp. He also copped gold in the same exercise in the English Championships, as well as the European Championships months before the Summer Games.
In the Paris Olympics, Jake Jarman and Carlos Yulo qualified for the same three finals: floor exercise, vault, and all-around. Rankings weren’t too far either, with Jarman topping the floor exercise with a score of 14.966, followed by Yulo’s 14.700.
Jarman ranked fifth in vault after scoring 14.699, while Yulo placed sixth with a very close score of 14.683. Understandably, Jarman (84.897) had a bigger gap over Yulo in all-around, placing fifth out of 24 qualified gymnasts in contrast to Yulo’s ninth (83.631).
Floor and vault results are why Filipinos should watch out for Jarman, with these being Yulo’s two pet events. In his redemption bid, Yulo seems headed for a dogfight with a fellow prodigy.
Vault, in particular, should be an interesting storyline. Yulo has been a consistent medalist in the exercise, which includes golds in the World Championships between 2021 and 2022. The 24-year-old also placed fourth in vault during his Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago.
In a resurgent 2024, Yulo also won gold in vault at the 2024 Asian Championships in Tashkent, and previously settled for silver at the Doha World Cup in the same exercise.
And while Caloy is more accomplished in floor exercise, Jarman isn’t too shabby either at the regional level. At the same time, getting a better score on Saturday’s qualifier is a telltale sign of Jarman’s growing prowess here too.
Jake Jarman and Carlos Yulo will meet again at the all-around finals on July 31, followed by floor on August 3, and vault on August 4. Will Yulo close the qualifying gap against the Fil-Brit?
Either way, this is a battle of destiny between two young stars who are both fueled by the dreams of their compatriots on the international stage.
Banner Image from AFP.
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