Make that two gold medals for Carlos Yulo in the 20th Asian Games.
The 26‑year‑old double‑gold medalist in the Paris Olympics replicated that same feat on Friday, fending off a tough challenge from Iran’s Mahdi Olfati to win the Men’s Vault crown and add to the Men’s Floor Exercise crown he won on Thursday, also at the Rainbow Hall of the Nagoya General Gymnasium.
Carlos Yulo Vaults to Gold
The Filipino gymnast tallied an average score of 14.599 to win the Men’s Vault gold, nudging ahead of Olfati’s 14.533 average. Hong Kong’s Ka Ki Ng bagged bronze with an average of 14.116.
After the first turn, the Iranian actually set the pace with a 15.100 first vault on 5.6 difficulty level. Yulo was a distant second with 14.599, also on a difficulty level of 5.6. Ng and South Korea’s Jaeho Kim were the only other athletes who scored at least 14.000, with the Hong Konger tallying 14.233 and the South Korean recording a 14.500.
Olfati’s supposed crowning glory, however, was not meant to be as he scored just 13.966 on his second turn. Yulo, meanwhile, remained consistent, scoring 14.466 in his second vault for his gold‑winning 14.599 average. Ng himself tallied 14.000 as he and Yulo were the only two athletes to score at least 14.000 in both turns.
Redemption, Indeed
Coming into the 20th Asian Games, Carlos Yulo was still smarting from his humbling debut in the quadrennial showcase back in 2018. But on Thursday, he exorcised the ghosts of that failed bid when he won his first‑ever Asian Games gold in the Men’s Floor Exercise. It was also the country’s very first gold medal in gymnastics in these Games.
Eight years later, the redemption arc is complete—twice over for good measure. What is more, Carlos Yulo can add another medal as he is scheduled to compete in the finals of the Parallel Bars later today.
