Carlos Yulo delivers Philippines’ first gold at 2026 Asian Games

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 25, 2026

Photo courtesy: POC – Philippine Olympic Committee – Olympic.PH

NAGOYA, Japan — Carlos Yulo delivered the Philippines’ first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games after ruling the men’s floor exercise final on Thursday, September 24.

The two-time Olympic champion scored 14.666 points at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium, combining a 5.7 difficulty score with an 8.966 execution mark to top the eight-man final.

Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi came closest to Yulo, finishing with 14.600 for silver, while Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama took bronze with 14.566.

Yulo, the fourth gymnast to perform, then had to wait as the remaining competitors completed their routines before his score was confirmed as the winning mark.

“There’s still a lot to improve in the next competitions, but I’m really grateful that that’s what happened for me today,” Yulo said. “I have no regrets in what I did today. I gave my best performance.”

The victory gave the 26-year-old his first Asian Games gold medal and added another major title to a career that already includes Olympic, world, Asian championship and Southeast Asian Games gold medals.

‘My collection is complete now’

For Yulo, the victory also filled one of the remaining gaps in his international résumé.

“My collection is complete now,” Yulo said after winning the Asian Games title, according to Olympics.com.

Yulo made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the Philippines’ first male Olympic gold medalist when he won the floor exercise before adding another gold in the vault.

His international résumé also includes three World Championships gold medals – floor exercise in 2019 and vault titles in 2021 and 2025 – as well as nine SEA Games gold medals from the 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions.

The Asian Games gold therefore added the continental multi-sport title that had been missing from his collection.

Yulo had already shown strong form before Thursday’s final. He topped the floor exercise qualification with 14.600 and again posted the best floor score for the Philippines during the men’s team final.

“When the result of Japan came out, I felt like they were really strict in judging them, as they did with me,” Yulo said. “And I felt maybe my execution was better compared to theirs, although they were also good.”

More medal chances ahead

Yulo’s Asian Games campaign is not yet over.

He also qualified for the vault and parallel bars finals, giving him two more opportunities to add to his medal haul on Friday.

His younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, also competed in the floor final and finished seventh with 12.233 points on a 5.3 difficulty.

Carlos Yulo’s floor exercise victory marked his first Asian Games medal and gave Team Philippines its first gold of the 2026 Games.

Carlos Yulo delivers Philippines’ first gold at 2026 Asian Games | POC – Philippine Olympic Committee – Olympic.PH

Carlos Yulo delivers Philippines’ first gold at 2026 Asian Games | POC – Philippine Olympic Committee – Olympic.PH

Carlos Yulo delivers Philippines’ first gold at 2026 Asian Games | POC – Philippine Olympic Committee – Olympic.PH