The curtain has finally fallen on the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, bringing 16 days of competition, breakthroughs, heartbreaks and unforgettable Filipino performances to a close.
For the Philippines, the closing ceremony was more than a farewell.
It was a celebration of a national sports campaign that produced 29 medals: four golds, nine silvers and 16 bronzes, giving the country its biggest Asian Games medal haul in decades.
Leading Team Philippines into the closing ceremony was Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape, who was chosen as the country's flag bearer after delivering a historic gold in mixed individual virtual taekwondo and a bronze in men's individual poomsae.
The Games officially concluded on October 4, 2026, with the closing ceremony held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. The next Asian Games will move to Doha, Qatar, in 2030.
🇵🇭 A Medal Haul Six Decades in the Making
The Philippines finished Aichi-Nagoya with:
| Medal | Total |
|---|---|
| 🥇 Gold | 4 |
| 🥈 Silver | 9 |
| 🥉 Bronze | 16 |
| Total | 29 |
The number tells only part of the story.
What made the campaign particularly significant was the breadth of the medal-winning performances. The Philippines reached the podium across a wide range of sports, including gymnastics, athletics, taekwondo, boxing, jiu-jitsu, MMA, esports, karate, sepak takraw, soft tennis, surfing, tennis, weightlifting, archery, basketball and beach volleyball.
The 29-medal haul was the country's biggest total since the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, when the Philippines won 37 medals, including seven golds. More importantly, Aichi-Nagoya produced several firsts in Philippine Asian Games history.
The Philippines won its first Asian Games gymnastics gold medals through Carlos Yulo, its first taekwondo gold through Yape, and its first medals in 3x3 basketball, soft tennis, sepak takraw and beach volleyball. The country also collected podium finishes in MMA and esports, both of which featured in the Games' program for the first time.
🥇 The Four Philippine Gold Medalists
Carlos Edriel Yulo
Men's Artistic Gymnastics — Floor Exercise & Vault
The Philippines' biggest individual star in Aichi-Nagoya was once again Carlos Yulo.
The Olympic and world champion delivered two gold medals, winning the men's floor exercise and men's vault.
His floor exercise victory was particularly historic. Yulo's 14.666-point performance gave the Philippines its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in gymnastics. He followed that with another gold in vault, becoming the country's first double-gold winner in gymnastics at the Asian Games.
Medals: 🥇🥇
Sport: Artistic Gymnastics
Events: Men's Floor Exercise, Men's Vault
EJ Obiena
Men's Pole Vault
World-class pole vaulter EJ Obiena successfully defended his Asian Games title in the men's pole vault.
Obiena cleared 5.91 meters, establishing a new Asian Games record and delivering the Philippines' third gold medal of the competition. His performance also continued his dominance at the continental level.
Medal: 🥇
Sport: Athletics
Event: Men's Pole Vault
Winning mark: 5.91 meters
Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape
Mixed Individual Virtual Taekwondo
The fourth and final Philippine gold came from taekwondo standout Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape.
Yape defeated Vietnam's Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang in the final of the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event, winning 2-0.
The victory was historic because it gave Philippine taekwondo its first Asian Games gold medal since the sport became a medal event in the Games, ending a decades-long wait. Yape also won bronze in men's individual poomsae.
His two-medal campaign earned him the honor of carrying the Philippine flag during the closing ceremony.
Medals: 🥇🥉
Sport: Taekwondo
Events: Mixed Individual Virtual Taekwondo, Men's Individual Poomsae
🥈 The Nine Philippine Silver Medalists
Jean Claude Saclag
Men's Traditional MMA — -65 kg
Jean Claude Saclag delivered one of the country's first medals of the Games in MMA, taking silver in the men's traditional -65 kg division.
His podium finish was particularly significant because MMA was among the newer sports featured in the Asian Games program.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: MMA
Event: Men's Traditional -65 kg
Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3
Women's 3x3 Basketball
The Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3 team made history by winning the Philippines' first Asian Games medal in 3x3 basketball.
The silver-medal team consisted of:
- Kacey Dela Rosa
- Amyah Espanol
- Kennan Ka
- Maria Pasilang
Their podium finish established 3x3 basketball as another emerging medal-producing sport for Philippine basketball.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Basketball
Event: Women's 3x3
Nelly Jay Salon, Jean Marie Sucalit & Abegail Sinogbuhan
Women's Double Sepak Takraw
The Philippine women's sepak takraw delegation secured a historic silver in the women's double event.
The team of Nelly Jay Salon, Jean Marie Sucalit and Abegail Sinogbuhan became part of another major Philippine breakthrough, giving the country a first-ever Asian Games medal in the event.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Sepak Takraw
Event: Women's Double
Amaya Amparo Cojuangco
Women's Compound Individual Archery
Amaya Amparo Cojuangco captured silver in the women's individual compound event, adding another podium finish for Philippine archery.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Archery
Event: Women's Individual Compound
Juliana Mykhail Candelaria
Women's Individual Poomsae
Taekwondo jin Juliana Mykhail Candelaria won silver in women's individual poomsae.
Her performance formed part of a remarkable taekwondo campaign that produced five Philippine medals overall, including Yape's historic gold.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Taekwondo
Event: Women's Individual Poomsae
Carlo Paalam
Men's 55 kg Boxing
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam added another major international medal to his résumé with silver in the men's 55 kg boxing division.
Paalam's run ended in the final, but his medal remained one of the Philippines' most significant boxing performances in Aichi-Nagoya.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Boxing
Event: Men's 55 kg
Tachiana Keizha Mangin
Women's -49 kg Taekwondo
Tachiana Keizha Mangin reached the women's -49 kg final and settled for silver.
Her result helped make taekwondo one of the Philippines' most productive sports at the Games, with five medals overall.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Taekwondo
Event: Women's -49 kg
Kurt Bryan Barbosa
Men's -58 kg Taekwondo
Kurt Bryan Barbosa earned silver in the men's -58 kg division, contributing to the Philippines' impressive late surge in taekwondo.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Taekwondo
Event: Men's -58 kg
Alexandria Enriquez
Women's -63 kg Jiu-Jitsu
Alexandria Enriquez delivered the Philippines' final medal of the Asian Games, winning silver in women's -63 kg jiu-jitsu on the final day.
She narrowly missed gold after a 0-0 final was decided by advantage in favor of Thailand's Orapa Senatham.
Her silver was the 29th and final Philippine medal of Aichi-Nagoya.
Medal: 🥈
Sport: Jiu-Jitsu
Event: Women's -63 kg
🥉 The 16 Philippine Bronze Medalists
Princess Catindig, Bien Zoleta, Christy Sanosa, Shyryn Salazar & Hilary Paas
Women's Soft Tennis Team
The Philippine women's soft tennis team produced one of the earliest breakthroughs of the Games, earning bronze.
The team consisted of Princess Catindig, Bien Zoleta, Christy Sanosa, Shyryn Salazar and Hilary Paas.
It was the Philippines' first Asian Games medal in soft tennis.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Soft Tennis
Event: Women's Team
Carlos Alvarez
Men's Traditional MMA — -77 kg
Carlos Alvarez won bronze in men's traditional MMA at -77 kg.
His medal gave the Philippines another podium finish in one of the newer sports on the Asian Games program.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: MMA
Event: Men's Traditional -77 kg
Samantha Veguillas, Ysabielle Arrogante & Rebecca Torres
Women's Team Kata
The Philippine women's karate trio of Samantha Veguillas, Ysabielle Arrogante and Rebecca Torres earned bronze in team kata.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Karate
Event: Women's Team Kata
Marie June Adriano
Women's Individual Kumite — -50 kg
Marie June Adriano secured bronze in women's individual kumite in the -50 kg division.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Karate
Event: Women's Individual Kumite -50 kg
Eldrew Yulo
Men's Horizontal Bar
Young gymnast Karl Eldrew Yulo added a bronze in the men's horizontal bar.
The younger Yulo's performance provided another medal for Philippine gymnastics alongside his brother Carlos' two golds.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Artistic Gymnastics
Event: Men's Horizontal Bar
Albert Ian Delos Santos
Men's 70 kg Weightlifting
Albert Ian Delos Santos claimed bronze in the men's 70 kg weightlifting competition.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Weightlifting
Event: Men's 70 kg
SIBOL
Pokémon UNITE Esports
The Philippine esports delegation SIBOL earned bronze in the Pokémon UNITE competition.
The result marked one of the Philippines' first Asian Games medals in esports.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Esports
Event: Pokémon UNITE
John Cabang Tolentino
Men's 110m Hurdles
John Cabang Tolentino sprinted to bronze in the men's 110-meter hurdles, adding another athletics medal to the Philippine haul.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Athletics
Event: Men's 110m Hurdles
SIBOL
Honor of Kings Esports
SIBOL doubled its esports medal haul by taking another bronze, this time in Honor of Kings.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Esports
Event: Honor of Kings
Philippine Men's Sepak Takraw Team
Men's Regu
The Philippine men's sepak takraw team captured bronze in the men's regu event.
Together with the women's silver, the result represented a landmark Asian Games campaign for Philippine sepak takraw.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Sepak Takraw
Event: Men's Regu
Jayuard Alciso
Men's Shortboard Surfing
Surfer Jayuard Alciso won bronze in men's shortboard surfing.
The podium finish came after an all-Filipino bronze-medal battle against teammate Toby Espejon, making the result an especially memorable moment for Philippine surfing.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Surfing
Event: Men's Shortboard
Victoria Bossong
Women's 800m
Filipina-American middle-distance runner Victoria Bossong secured bronze in the women's 800 meters.
She clocked 2:05.34 to reach the podium.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Athletics
Event: Women's 800m
Alexandra Eala
Women's Singles Tennis
Tennis star Alexandra Eala added another Asian Games bronze to her growing international résumé after reaching the podium in women's singles.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Tennis
Event: Women's Singles
Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape
Men's Individual Poomsae
Before claiming his historic virtual taekwondo gold, Jeus Yape had already secured bronze in men's individual poomsae.
That made Yape a double medalist and ultimately the man entrusted with carrying the Philippine flag during the closing ceremony.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Taekwondo
Event: Men's Individual Poomsae
Khylem Progella & Sofiah Pagara
Women's Beach Volleyball
Khylem Progella and Sofiah Pagara won bronze in women's beach volleyball.
Their podium finish was historic, giving the Philippines its first Asian Games medal in beach volleyball.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Beach Volleyball
Event: Women's Beach Volleyball
Kaila Napolis
Women's -52 kg Jiu-Jitsu
Kaila Napolis completed the Philippines' jiu-jitsu medal haul with bronze in the women's -52 kg division.
Medal: 🥉
Sport: Jiu-Jitsu
Event: Women's -52 kg
More Than Just a Medal Count
The numbers are impressive, but the real story of Aichi-Nagoya is how widely those medals were spread.
Philippine athletes reached the podium in established Olympic disciplines such as gymnastics, athletics, boxing, archery, tennis and weightlifting, while also breaking new ground in 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, soft tennis, sepak takraw, MMA and esports.
Taekwondo emerged as one of the country's strongest teams, collecting one gold, three silvers and one bronze. Athletics produced three medals, led by Obiena's gold and Asian Games record. Gymnastics produced the Philippines' first two Asian Games gold medals in the sport.
And then there was Carlos Yulo.
The Olympic champion once again became the face of Philippine gymnastics, while EJ Obiena continued his reign in pole vault. Yape, meanwhile, ended a decades-long wait for Philippine taekwondo gold and became the symbolic flag bearer for a delegation that had plenty to celebrate.
A New Chapter for Philippine Sports
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will ultimately be remembered not simply for the four gold medals, but for the 29-medal haul and the number of sports in which Filipinos managed to break through.
The Philippines entered the Games looking for podium finishes.
It left Japan with something bigger: evidence that Philippine sports is becoming deeper, more diverse and increasingly competitive beyond its traditional medal-producing disciplines.
From Yulo's gravity-defying routines to Obiena soaring over 5.91 meters, from Yape's historic taekwondo gold to the emergence of new medal-winning teams and athletes, Aichi-Nagoya gave Philippine sports a collection of moments that will linger long after the closing ceremony lights went dark.
The Asian Games may now be over.
For Team Philippines, however, the next chapter has already begun.
29 medals. Four golds. Nine silvers. Sixteen bronzes. And a whole lot of reasons to believe that the next breakthrough is already somewhere on the horizon.
Mabuhay, Team Philippines. 🇵🇭
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