Brothers Carlos and Eldrew Yulo both qualified for the floor exercise and horizontal bar apparatus finals, capping an up-and-down opening day for Team Philippines in the 2026 Asian Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Thursday at the Zunyi Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in China.
Double Olympic champion Carlos delivered a solid 14.433 in the floor exercise to top all qualifiers, a field that included his younger brother Eldrew.
The 18-year-old Eldrew, who claimed his first senior gold at the World Cup in Antalya, Turkey last March, posted 13.600 to finish 10th and secure the final qualification spot.
Eldrew, however, fared better in the horizontal bar, finishing seventh among the finalists with 13.633, ahead of Carlos’ 13.466.
Carlos, 26, will also compete in the parallel bars final after scoring 13.966 in qualification, an event where he previously won medals at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships.
The result came as a welcome boost after he narrowly missed out on a fifth straight all-around podium finish, placing fourth with a total of 81.864—just 0.461 behind bronze medalist Japan’s Miwa Teppei, who scored 82.265.
The reigning Olympic vault champion struggled in his two attempts on the apparatus, settling for 13.250, well below his usual standards.
As a team, the Philippines slipped to seventh place despite improved scores, narrowly missing a top-five finish and a ticket to this year’s World Championships.
The squad—composed of the Yulo brothers, veterans Justine De Leon and Juancho Miguel Besana, and Fil-Am Zachary Nuñez—finished with 236.161 points, just 0.101 behind fifth-placed Chinese Taipei, which secured a Worlds berth.
The Philippines, however, will still be represented in the World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands through the Yulo brothers, while the rest of the team will aim to qualify individually through other pathways.
Carlos and Eldrew will return for the floor exercise finals at 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the elder Yulo targeting a fifth straight gold in the event.
