Carlos Edriel Yulo delivered the Philippines’ first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday, winning the men’s floor exercise final in Nagoya, Japan, and completing a major gap in his already decorated gymnastics career.
Yulo scored 14.666 points, combining an 8.966 execution score with a 5.7 difficulty rating. Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi took silver with 14.600, while Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama won bronze with 14.566.
The victory gave the 26-year-old his first Asian Games gold medal after he finished seventh in the floor exercise at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Yulo said the new title carried a sense of redemption because of the disappointment he experienced in his earlier Asian Games appearance.
The gold also completes Yulo’s collection of major international titles. He is already a two-time Olympic champion after winning floor exercise and vault at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while his résumé also includes World Championships, Asian Championships and Southeast Asian Games gold medals.
Yulo’s performance was particularly significant for Philippine gymnastics, as his victory became the country’s first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. His triumph also came in Japan, where he has spent much of his career training and developing as an elite gymnast.
The Filipino champion’s Asian Games campaign is not over. Yulo is scheduled to compete in the men’s vault and parallel bars finals, giving him additional opportunities to add to his medal haul.
His younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, also competed in the floor exercise final but finished seventh with 12.233 points. Carlos later encouraged his brother to treat the result as part of his development and continue learning from the experience.
The Asian Games gold also adds another milestone to Yulo’s long-term preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He said the Nagoya competition is part of the process of building confidence and maintaining his form ahead of the next Olympic cycle.
For the Philippines, Yulo’s victory provides an early highlight in the country’s Asian Games campaign. With more finals ahead for the gymnastics star and other Filipino athletes still competing, the medal chase in Aichi-Nagoya continues.
