CARLOS Edriel Yulo finally added an Asian Games gold medal to his glittering collection, delivering the Philippines its first gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Games by ruling the men’s floor exercise on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, at the Nagoya General Gymnasium.
Fulfilling his earlier promise to prioritize artistry and elegance under immense pressure, the two-time Olympic champion posted 14.666 points to top the eight-man final, combining a 5.700 difficulty score with an 8.966 execution mark.
Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi settled for silver with 14.600, while Japan’s Shoma Tsukiyama took bronze with 14.566.
The victory gave Yulo his first Asian Games gold medal in his debut appearance at the continental showcase. He missed the 2022 Hangzhou Games and entered Nagoya having already won Olympic, world, Asian and Southeast Asian titles.
Yulo had topped the floor exercise qualification on Monday with 14.600 points, setting himself up as one of the leading contenders for the gold.
He also had extra motivation heading into Thursday’s final after the Philippine men’s team finished sixth in the team event on Wednesday.
The Yulo-led squad scored 227.359 points after six rotations, well behind champion China’s 255.095. Japan took silver with 254.026, while Chinese Taipei earned bronze with 239.896.
Yulo, however, turned the page quickly and delivered on the apparatus where he had been strongest throughout the competition.
His gold also came at the expense of his younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, who finished seventh in the floor exercise final with 12.233 points.
Carlos still has two more chances to add to his medal haul.
He will compete in the men’s vault and parallel bars finals on Friday, Sept. 25. The vault will be particularly significant for the Filipino gymnast, who won Olympic gold in the event at the Paris 2024 Games.
For now, though, Yulo has accomplished what had eluded him: an Asian Games gold medal.
And he did it by giving the Philippines its first gold in Nagoya. / LBG WITH POC REPORT
