King Carlos back where it all began

NAGOYA —This is where it all started, and this is where Carlos Yulo seeks to complete a full circle.

The Philippines’ double-gold hero in Paris takes his first plunge in the 20th Asian Games today – and he goes straight to the fire – the men’s all-around at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Hall).

It’s a homecoming in more ways than one.

He’s back in the very land where he honed his craft as a teenage scholar under Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, learning the discipline, precision and artistry that would turn a wiry kid from Manila into a world champion.

He’s also back in the Asian Games after deliberately skipping the 2023 Hangzhou edition. That gamble – to chase world championship points for Paris 2024 qualification instead of a continental medal – paid off beyond anyone’s wildest hopes.

In Paris, Yulo didn’t just make the Olympics. He made history, becoming the Philippines’ first Olympic gymnastics champion with a stunning double-gold in floor exercise and vault.

Now 26, seasoned, and carrying the weight of a nation that knows what gold looks like, Yulo makes his Asiad return. It is a far cry from his so-so debut as a 18-year-old in Jakarta/Palembang 2018.

“All-around is the hardest among all events because we’re talking six apparatuses here,” Yulo said on the eve of competition.

He will have to be flawless on floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar in one single day.

And the path to the podium is brutal.

The field is headlined by Japan’s golden duo. Tokyo 2020 all-around and horizontal bar Olympic champion Hashimoto Daiki arrives as the reigning world all-around champion – a title he has won in 2022, 2023 and 2025. And right beside him is his teammate Oka Shinnosuke, the man who denied Hashimoto in Paris and left as the Paris 2024 Olympic all-around champion.