Yulo had warned he was “shooting for the stars” in Paris after missing out on the podium in Tokyo.
And his acrobatic and technically difficult routine proved a hit, scoring higher than the 14.766 he had garnered in qualifying.
“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always,” said Yulo, who has a chance of another medal in the vault final on Sunday.
“He gave me the strength to get through this kind of performance and perform this well.”
China’s Xiao Ruoteng, the Tokyo floor bronze medallist, slumped to last in the eight-man final after hopping out of bounds after his opening jump to finish with 13.933.
Xiao had been bidding for gold to add to his silver in the men’s team event and bronze in the all-around competition at the Paris Games.
