Just 10 months removed from his historic double-gold triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, 25-year-old gymnastics star Carlos Yulo added another milestone to his decorated career.
He secured a bronze medal in the individual all-around at the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships — his fourth consecutive podium finish in the event — with a total score of 83.633 on Thursday at the Jecheon Gymnasium in South Korea.
Yulo’s bronze was anchored by strong performances in his signature events: the floor exercise (14.433), vault (14.500), and parallel bars (14.167). He also delivered solid scores on the pommel horse (13.100) and still rings (13.633).
Heading into the final rotation, the horizontal bar, Yulo needed at least a 13.133 to secure a spot on the podium.
The defending Asian all-around champion delivered under pressure, executing clean release-and-catch elements to score a 13.800 — enough to clinch bronze, even as he relinquished the title to his close friend, Oka Shinnosuke of Japan.
Shinnosuke, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, reclaimed the Asian title he last held in 2023 with a dominant total of 85.134. He outpaced compatriot Hasegawa Tsuyoshi, who tallied 83.967 to take silver.
Their stellar performances helped propel Japan to its first team gold at the Asian Championships since 2015, when the event was held in Hiroshima led by veterans Shirai Kenzo and Kato Ryohei.
Oka and Hasegawa, along with Fujimaki Shumpei, Tsunogai Tomoharu, and Kaya Kazuma starred as Japan edged out five-time champions China, who settled for silver. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan completed the team podium.
Thursday’s competition also served as a qualification for the apparatus finals, where Yulo advanced in all but one event — the pommel horse.
He enters the floor exercise final as the top qualifier and also secured a spot in the still rings final as the seventh seed, both of which will take place on Saturday.
The two-time World Champion will also compete in the vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar finals on Sunday.
SEA Games champion Ivan Cruz, who won the floor exercise in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, also advanced to the vault final after posting a score of 13.533.
Meanwhile, Eldrew Yulo and Filipino-Canadian Evan Aliwalas are set to take the stage in the Juniors Championships beginning Friday.
