After the long wait for Carlos Yulo and the Philippines to claim a first Asian Games artistic gymnastics medal, two came in the space of 24 hours at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The gymnast added his second gold on Friday (25 September) with a winning 14.599 score in the men’s vault.
“It was my best performance at these Games, but it was also close,” Yulo told assembled media, including Olympics.com in Japan, after beating Iranian Mahdi Olfati by 0.066 points.
“I didn’t land a few things in the training hall, but I trusted myself and what I can do. So I’m really happy I’m still able to do the difficulties I wanted to.”
It came the day after the 26-year-old had completed his personal set of major artistic gymnastics gold medals, making him the first Filipino gymnast to win an Asian Games gold medal in the competition’s 75-year history.
“I’m really satisfied; I never imagined that it would be like this,” he said.
“Even though I’m always going for a gold medal, the process towards getting it is really crazy. I haven’t really felt any nerves, so I was able to focus on the details I wanted to do.”
“I didn’t really have time to celebrate it that much! I was stressed, but I really enjoyed it today.
Yulo made his Asian Games debut in 2018, and adds the Asian Games golds to an extraordinary collection that already includes two Olympic gold medals, three world titles, and 11 continental championship titles.
