Carlos Yulo Leads Team Philippines’ Medal Run at the 2026 Asian Games
Photographed by Joseph Pascual for the July 2024 Issue of Vogue Man Philippines
The Filipino gymnast has claimed two gold medals in Aichi-Nagoya, while athletes from MMA, karate, and soft tennis have also put the Philippines on the medal board.
Carlos Yulo is the leading medalist for the Philippines thus far in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
On September 24, Yulo won a historic gold medal in the men’s floor exercise to kick off his Asian Games campaign. The Filipino gymnast won the first gold of the Games by defeating Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama and Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi with a score of 14.666 points. Yulo’s collection of significant international titles, which includes gold medals from the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Championships, and SEA Games, was completed with the victory, which also marked her first Asian Games gold.
Yulo added another gold in the men’s vault final less than a day later. He posted an average score of 14.599, with 14.733 on his first vault and 14.466 on his second, finishing ahead of Iran’s Mahdi Olfati and Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Ki. His second triumph made him a two-time Asian Games gold medalist and awarded the Philippines both of the competition’s gold medals to date.
Yulo, however, failed in his third bid for a gold medal, finishing fourth with 14.300 points in the men’s parallel bars final to cap off his Asian Games campaign. Zou Jingyuan of China took home the gold with 15.500, followed by Shinnosuke Oka of Japan and Rasuljon Abdurakhimov of Uzbekistan.
Yulo’s performance coincided with a larger medal campaign by Filipino athletes in various sports.
The Philippines’ medal haul
Before Yulo’s first gold, the Philippines had already won medals in soft tennis, mixed martial arts, and karate.
The women’s soft tennis team led by Princess Catindig, Bien Zoleta, Christy Sanosa, Shyryn Salazar, and Hilary Paas won bronze, the country’s first Olympic medal.
In mixed martial arts, Jean Claude Saclag reached the gold-medal match but was defeated by Otabek Rajabov of Tajikistan to win silver in the men’s traditional -65 kg division. In the men’s traditional -77 kg division, Carlos Alvarez won bronze. MMA debuted at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Two bronze medals were also contributed by karate. In the women’s team kata, Samantha Veguillas, Ysabielle Arrogante, and Rebecca Cyril Torres took home bronze, while Marie June Adriano won bronze in the women’s kumite-50 kg. In her Asian Games debut, Adriano defeated Ya-chi Chung of Chinese Taipei 10-3 in the bronze-medal match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carlos Yulo is a Filipino gymnast and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Carlos Yulo has won dozens of international medals, highlighted by two Olympic gold medals, six World Championships medals, and two historic gold medals at the Asian Games.
The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, is a large multi-sport event held every four years for athletes from all over Asia.
The 20th Asian Games are currently being held in Aichi Prefecture and its capital city, Nagoya, in Japan, from September 19 to October 2, 2026.
As of September 25, 2026, the Philippines ranks 13th in the medal standings at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, following gold medal performances by Carlos Yulo.