MANILA -- Six months before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo is grinding day in and day out, determined to elevate his performance to attain his goal at the Games.

Yulo, 23, has moved his training camp from Tokyo to Manila and is now working on upping the level of difficulty in his routines for three apparatus -- floor, vault, and parallel bars.

The two-time world champion earned his ticket to the Paris Games in October 2023, when he reached the finals of the floor exercise in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. He was the second Filipino to qualify to the Olympics, after pole vaulter EJ Obiena.

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"Nandun na ako sa process na nagdagdag ako ng isang element, isang skill. Isang pass na makakaangat sa D-score ko. 6.3 (difficulty) ako last year sa World Championships and sa routine ko ngayon is 6.6. Yun po yung wino-work ko, mabigat din siya kapag sa all-around," said Yulo.

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With still six months to go before the Olympics, Yulo says he is feeling stronger and more confident after adding more strength and conditioning exercises, adjusting his nutrition, and adding mental toughness training. He is also pleased with the new additions to his team -- sports occupational therapist Hazel Calawod, nutritionist Jeaneth Aro, and head coach Aldrin Castaneda.

Meanwhile, Gymnastics Association President Cynthia Carrion has laid out Yulo's roadmap to Paris. The gymnast will travel for two-week training camps in Korea, Spain and Australia, while also competing in two legs of the World Cup in Doha and Baku, aside from the Asian Championships.

For now, Yulo is focused on mastering every detail of his routine -- believing that the medals will come if he performs at his best.

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"Ang pinaka-target ko ngayon ay ma-success ko yung mga routine ko kasi susunod naman yung resulta," said Yulo. "Gusto ko talagang manalo, pero mas gusto kong mas maganda yung performance ko."

"Kasi susunod naman talaga yung medal ko dun sa magiging performance ko so dun ako naka-base. Kung maganda performance ko, kung happy ako sa performance ko, yung standard na pinut ko sa sarili ko, pag na-reach ko yun, contender na yun for gold," he added.

Paris will be Yulo's second Olympics, having also competed in Tokyo in 2021 where he placed fourth in vault but missed out on qualifying in the finals of his pet event, the floor exercise.

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