Eldrew Yulo embraces lessons in breakthrough year, sets sights on LA 2028

MANILA – From making his mark in the junior ranks to testing himself against the seniors, 2026 has been a defining year for up and coming gymnast Eldrew Yulo.

Yulo kicked off his first year in the senior ranks in the 2026 FIG World Cup circuit, making his debut in the Baku World Cup in Azerbaijan.

The 18-year-old finished sixth in floor exercise and seventh in the horizontal bar, gaining valuable experience against a more seasoned field.  

In the Antalya World Cup in Turkiye, Yulo struck gold in the floor exercise, marking his first medal in senior level competition.

Yulo followed it up with two bronze medals at the Cairo World Cup in Egypt, before wrapping up the circuit with two finals appearances at the Osijek World Cup in Croatia.

The younger brother of double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo earlier said his main goal in his first year in the senior ranks is to gain experience.

But in making the jump to the senior level, Eldrew showed flashes of his potential and began carving his own identity in gymnastics.

Last June, the 18-year-old shared the podium with his older brother at the 13th Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Senior Asian Championships, where Carlos won gold and Eldrew clinched bronze in floor exercise.  

For Eldrew, the historic moment with his older brother meant more than winning a medal.

“Most memorable for me is Asian Championships. We both won on the same podium, same floor [exercise]. It’s really a dream for me. I know it’s not like Asian Games but it’s really memorable for me kasi both Yulo are on the same podium. Kahit anong place yan, it’s really amusing,” he told ABS-CBN News in an interview on Thursday.

“Nakaka-inspire siya and every time I think of it, makes me want to improve more or thrive more. Kasi I really want that to happen again on the bigger competitions like Worlds or Olympics, of course,” the younger Yulo added.

The Yulo brothers once again competed alongside each other at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, where Eldrew made his debut in the continental multi-sport event.

The younger Yulo made not only the country, but his brother proud after he captured bronze in the high bar, one of his pet events.

With a short turnaround time, Eldrew and Carlos competed at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, another major test for the 18-year-old.  

But this time, Eldrew missed on the men’s individual all-around and apparatus finals, getting a taste of the tough field he will face in the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

He finished 99th overall in the men’s individual all-around rankings, bringing home a lot of learnings and valuable experience.

One of his biggest takeaways was the importance of enjoying every competition and to not be afraid to make mistakes, pieces of advice shared by his older brother Carlos.

“Sobrang nabigatan po ako sa competitions. Super stressing niya for me kasi masyadong in-stress yung sarili ko. Masyadong nag-aim. And masyadong… It’s not my usual competition mode. Kasi when you see the Asian Games, it was really light and it’s fun,” Eldrew explained.

“Mali ako doon na hindi ako ganun na mag-compete. Masyado akong nag-focus, masyado akong natatakot magkamali. And like they said, the more you fear, the more it happens to you talaga. And yeah, for me, ang dami ko rin na-realize and ang dami ko rin natutunan,” he added.

After competing alongside Olympic champions and the best of the best in gymnastics, Eldrew has a clearer picture and bigger motivation to improve.

“I realized na super behind na ako when it comes to skills, of course. And lack of experience pa ako when it comes to competition or competing for seniors, of course. And I really need to… keep going and I really need to keep building more confidence sa training, of course. Kailangan ko pang i-practice sobrang dami po,” he said.

“Na-realize ko din doon na kailangan kong i-enjoy yung competitions. Like lahat ng competition, Olympics, Worlds, kasi doon, stress talaga…. It’s all on me, ayun din natutunan ko na nakalimutan kong i-enjoy yung competition. And yeah, lesson learned siya for me and I really know what do I need to do next time,” Eldrew explained.

As artificial intelligence is expected to take on a bigger role in judging gymnastics, Yulo said the technological advancement presents another opportunity to raise his standards.

“Yung AI, hindi siya biro for me. For me, pros and cons. Ang pros, they will teach you how to be pristine in gymnastics. And of course, palinisan kasi ang gymnastics. So, the AI will teach you how to be better gymnast, of course,” he said.

“And the cons is, hindi siya laging tama, of course. And kailangan pa rin siya ng human eye when it comes to judging. And kailangan hindi sila yung fully dependent on AI kasi AI cannot do everything,” Yulo added.

With his first year in the senior level officially in the books, Eldrew is looking ahead as he sets his sights on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I really want to be on top, of course. I mean, I’m pressuring myself right now, pero wala lang. Step by the step. But yeah, it’s just my dream of having a goal like that,” he said.

“It really makes me want to push more or to over or i-over ko yung limit ko. Like yeah, super nakaka-inspire siya for me to think about it,” the 18-year-old shared.

The road to LA2028 will not be a solo journey for Eldrew, who is expected to share several competition stages with Carlos as both brothers prepare for another busy year in gymnastics.

Still, the younger Yulo knows that reaching his Olympic dream will require patience, discipline, and sacrifices along the way.

“All I need to do is training lang nang training. Of course, aabutin lang kung anong pangarap ko. Siguro sa pag-aaral, yeah. Hindi ko siya pwedeng kalimutan kasi I’m still young and kailangan ko pa rin talaga mag-aral, he said.

“Iti-take ko yung months na yun or yung remaining months bago mag-competition to train hard and train like I never won,” Eldrew added.