AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by Norbert Llamas. Figures are dated; see our editorial policy.
Two years after his double gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Carlos Yulo won floor exercise and vault again, this time at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Here is why it matters and what it says about Philippine gymnastics.
Floor exercise: the Yulo signature
Floor has been Yulo's best event since he became the first Filipino world champion on the apparatus in 2019. Gymnasts are scored on difficulty plus execution, and Yulo's routines are known for combining high difficulty with very clean landings. That combination won the floor title at Aichi-Nagoya and gave Team Philippines its first gold of the Games.
Vault: a second gold
Vault rewards power, height and a stuck landing on two different vaults. Winning both floor and vault at a single Games makes Yulo one of the few gymnasts in the world who is a threat on both apparatus. You can follow the scoring rules and world rankings on the World Gymnastics (FIG) website.
Eldrew Yulo's horizontal bar bronze
The Yulo story also had a second chapter. Younger brother Eldrew Yulo won bronze on the horizontal bar, an important result for a gymnast at the start of his senior international career. Both brothers medalling at the same Games suggests Philippine gymnastics has more than one star.
Why this matters for Philippine sport
- His two golds were the Philippines' only golds as of September 29. Our medal tally page has the full list.
- It confirms that the Paris 2024 results were not a one-off, which matters for planning toward LA 2028. Olympic coverage is on Olympics.com.
- It gives young Filipino gymnasts visible role models. Gymnastics clubs across Metro Manila reported more interest in junior sign-ups after Paris.
How to rewatch Yulo's routines
Gymnastics is a sport you appreciate more on replay, in slow motion and from multiple angles. Our Asian Games replay guide lists the legal ways to find full routines and highlights in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.
For more from the Games, go back to the full Aichi-Nagoya recap or read how the country got here in our Asian Games history piece.