Carlos Yulo stamped his class in Asia on Thursday by winning gold in the Men’s Floor Exercise in Men’s Gymnastics at the 20th Asian Games. It was the Philippines’ first gold medal in these Games, the country’s first‑ever gold in gymnastics in the continental showpiece, and Yulo’s first in the quadrennial Asiad.
Redemption Eight Years in the Making for Carlos Yulo
Yes, for all of Yulo’s accomplishments, Thursday was the first time he won a medal in the Asian Games. That golden conquest completed for Yulo what is essentially a career Grand Slam, as he also has won gold in the Olympics, World Championship, Asian Championship, and SEA Games. It also exorcised the ghosts of the 2018 Jakarta Games, when a then 18‑year‑old Yulo unraveled in the finals of both the Men’s Floor Exercise and Men’s Vault to come away empty‑handed.
“This medal, it’s like winning the Olympics also because it’s kind of the same back when I was 18 years old, at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games,” Yulo said after his gold‑clinching routine. “I kind of messed up my routine there [2018 Asian Games]. I was a finalist on floor and vault, but it wasn’t really a good performance. At the same time in [the] Tokyo Olympics, it’s kind of the same. It was really messed up… It’s really a good story, and I feel like I redeemed it in this competition.”
Redeem himself he did. Eight years later, eight years older, and eight years better, Yulo turned it up a notch in the Men’s Floor Exercise final this time, submitting the highest difficulty level among the eight finalists—together with Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi—and backing it up with a flawless routine. Then, just like that, Carlos Yulo won the only gold missing from his incredible résumé.
Target Locked: Los Angeles Olympics in 2028
At 26, Carlos Yulo is no doubt in the prime of his athletic career, and this early, he has his sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where he can add to the two Olympic gold medals he won in Paris in 2024.
“That’s a big one, and I feel like there’s still a lot of time,” Yulo said. “I’m preparing myself right now. This competition is part of it also, and I’m building my confidence also through these competitions… I know when the time comes when we are there, I just pray that I’m safe, and I enjoy that moment and I appreciate that moment.”
Los Angeles, though, is a couple of years away. And as of right now, Carlos Yulo still has unfinished business, as he is also set to compete in the finals of the Men’s Vault and Men’s Parallel Bars later today.
But the redemption arc is complete regardless.
