CARLOS YULO GETS OUR FIRST GOLD | ASIAN GAMES 2026

First of all, that Kazakh almost spiked my BP.

That said, Carlos Yulo is the man.

He went scorched earth on his opponents and silenced his critics by displaying skills I couldn't even imagine. I mean, just fitting into that uniform is a chore in itself, let alone unleashing that kind of aerial artistry.

But seriously, while the rest of Asia is closing in, it was evident that he was still the top dog in the floor exercise. I don't know if his routine has gone stale, but if it ain't broke, why fix it, right? I guess I'm just used to seeing him execute those boss moves, even if I know for a fact that it's not easy to pull those stunts off.

Yes, Carlos Yulo is so good that his moves are now just "normal" to me.

Here's to hoping he'll use the two-million-peso incentive to beef up his conditioning equipment and just go somewhere remote to train, rather than eating delicious food and living my life as a couch potato, because his win is our country's win.

According to Google, the usual retirement age for male gymnasts is around 22 to 28, and Carlos Yulo is now 26. If it were me, I would say to him what Ryan Reynolds' character said to Hugh Jackman's character in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Carlos Yulo still at peak level in his late 30s?

Yes, please!

Hehe. :)

But again, let me give a shoutout to that Kazakh. After Shoma Tsukiyama finished his routine, which also marked the end of the other East Asians' routines, I thought Yulo had this in the bag. However, Milad Karimi went for broke and decided to give it his all.

Anyway, congrats to Yulo for bagging our first gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games. Hopefully, he gets another one tomorrow in the men's vault. The same can also be said for Karl Eldrew Yulo, who had a bit of a problem at the start of his routine but then recovered and unleashed Caloy-like moves to finish seventh in his Asian Games debut.