STUTTGART -- Three years ago, Carlos Edriel "Caloy" Yulo reluctantly left Manila for Tokyo to continue his intensive training under Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya.

When Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion, who took in the young boy at the age of seven as a GAP protégé due to his precocious talent, asked Yulo if he was willing to go, his response was he would talk it over with his parents.

"I talked to my mom (Angelika) and she told it was better to go there and train with coach Mune (Kugimiya’s nickname) So I went," said Yulo, who was barely 16 at the time.

"I was a shy kid then and there was the problem of communication. It was a bit hard since I was alone," said the gymnast of his early experience in Tokyo, where he worked out at the main training center where the Japan's national team also trained.

Yulo also admitted that training under Kugimiya -- a drillmaster of a coach -- was "super hard."

• READ: Yulo becomes second Filipino to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Fast forward to 2019, and all of Yulo's hard work and sacrifices have been handsomely rewarded.

In a major breakthrough for Philippine gymnastics, Yulo became the second Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This, after he placed 18th overall with 82.164 points in the men's all-around qualifiers of the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the Hans Martin Schleyer Halle here.

With the Chinese, Russian and Japanese campaigners having clinched spots to Tokyo in placing 1-2-3, respectively, in the team event of the previous edition of the gymnastics showcase in Doha, Qatar last year, Yulo moved up to the top of the individual rankings to claim his Olympic ticket.

The youngest competitor at 19 years old, Yulo made the cut of top 24 among the 160 athletes from 92 countries who saw action in the grueling qualifying round and will be in the finals on Friday.

Yulo will also figure for honors in the men’s floor exercise finals on Saturday after finishing seventh place in the apparatus also last Monday with a high score of 14.666 points. It was the same event where he won a bronze medal in Doha last year.

Carrion noted that it was a collective effort that enabled Yulo in accomplishing his historic feat.

"The GAP and I personally helped raise funds for Caloy’s (Yulo’s nickname) training when it all began. Sometimes from even my personal friends," said Carrion, lauding the numerous good Samaritans who helped the young athlete achieve his Olympic dream.

She also took the occasion in thanking the PSC and PSC chairman Butch Ramirez for the all-out support given to the gymnast.

"Caloy, of course, did his part in dedicating himself to his training and working hard while Coach Mune brought out the best in him so he could become a world-class athlete," said Carrion.

"Of course, we also provided a lot of mental and spiritual encouragement so he could have that winning attitude."

Yulo, who is now fluent in Japanese thanks to his long stay in Tokyo, looks forward to performing on the Olympic stage in familiar surroundings.

Asked if he was excited in seeing action in the Olympics in what he now considers his second home, the gymnast quipped: "No, not really. I’ll just take it slow and one day at a time."

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