The gold that had been missing from Carlos Yulo’s collection is finally his

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 24, 2026

Photo Courtesy: philippine sports commission

For years, Carlos Yulo had already conquered some of gymnastics’ biggest stages. Olympic champion. World champion. Asian champion. Southeast Asian Games champion.

There was, however, one major title missing from his collection: an Asian Games gold medal.

That gap disappeared Thursday in Nagoya, Japan.

Yulo delivered a near-flawless routine in the men’s floor exercise final, scoring 14.666 points to win gold and give the Philippines its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games.

The 26-year-old posted 8.966 in execution and 5.7 in difficulty, edging Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, who took silver with 14.600, while Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama settled for bronze with 14.566.

The victory also carried a sense of unfinished business. Yulo’s first Asian Games appearance came in 2018, when he finished seventh in the floor exercise despite topping the qualification round. He did not compete at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, making his return to the Asiad stage in Nagoya even more significant.

This time, there was no podium to chase and no missing piece left to fill.

There was also a family chapter unfolding alongside his own. Yulo’s younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, competed in the same final and finished seventh with 12.233 points, marking his first Asian Games appearance.

Carlos, however, is not finished in Nagoya. He is scheduled to compete in the vault and parallel bars finals, while Eldrew is set to see action in the horizontal bar final.

For Carlos Yulo, the Asian Games gold was no longer the medal he was still waiting for.

It was finally the one hanging around his neck.