Carlos Yulo has delivered the Philippines' first gold medal of the 20th Asian Games, ruling the men's floor exercise final on Thursday at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium and making history as the country's first Asian Games gold medalist in artistic gymnastics.
Yulo posted the highest score of 14.666 to secure the gold, topping Kazakhstan's Milad Karimi and Japan's Shoma Tsukiyama. Meanwhile, his younger brother Karl Eldrew registered 12.223, good for seventh place, in his Asian Games debut.
The two-time Olympic champion already displayed top form in this apparatus from the get go, as he entered the final as the top qualifier after scoring 14.600 in the preliminary round. He also led the field in the men's team final on Wednesday, scoring 14.266 on floor as the Philippines finished sixth.
This gold adds another major milestone to Yulo's résumé after he won Olympic gold in both floor exercise and vault at the 2024 Paris Games and captured the floor exercise title at the 2026 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Yulo's gold also lifts the Philippines' medal haul to six, with one gold, one silver and four bronze medals.
He will also receive a P2 million cash incentive pursuant to Republic Act No. 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, which grants Filipino athletes the said amount for winning a gold medal at the Asian Games.
The 26-year-old Yulo will return to action in the vault and parallel bars finals on Sept. 25, with a chance to add another Asian Games gold medal to his haul and bolster the Philippines' medal tally.