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Filipino athletes march during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture on October 4, 2026. POC Media
NAGOYA – The Philippines capped its Asian Games campaign with its biggest medal haul in six decades, winning four golds, nine silvers, and 16 bronzes as the 20th Asian Games concluded in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday.
As Aichi-Nagoya bid sayonara to the Asian Games, the country ranked 17th in the medal table with a total of 29 medals.
READ: Asian Games close in Japan after records, rancour and rain
The Philippine Olympic Committee initially had a target of surpassing its four gold medal haul from 2018 in Jakarta-Palembang and 2023 in Hangzhou.
The Filipino athletes managed to match the four golds and also bagged the most medals since coming home with 42 at the 1966 edition in Bangkok, Thailand.
Double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo won the country's first two gold medals in gymnastics, while Olympian EJ Obiena took home the third gold in men's pole vault.
Taekwondo jin Jeus Yape, 22, delivered the fourth and what would be the final gold in the inaugural virtual taekwondo event.
"Hindi nga lang nadagdagan 'yung gold pero nadagdagan 'yung silvers and bronzes. Saka 'yung total nalampasan natin, madami tayong nalampasan," POC President Abraham Tolentino told POC Media on Sunday.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio likewise lauded the athletes for winning medals in more sports compared to previous editions.
"We're very happy we won so many medals in so many sports—kung 'di po ako nagkakamali, 18, 19 sports. In China [2023 Hangzhou Asian Games], we won in 11 sports," Gregorio told POC Media.
"Yan po ang malaking pagbabago, at 'yan po ang importante sa ating development ng Philippine sports, sa ating grassroots program," he added.
BREAKING DOWN THE MEDALS
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Filipino athletes march during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture on October 4, 2026. POC Media Yulo shone in his second Asian Games appearance as he looked to bounce back from his debut in the 2018 edition of the continental showcase.
Despite initial setbacks in the qualifications, the 26-year-old ruled the floor exercise and vault, the same events where he made history and won two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yulo's two gold medals are also the first for the country in gymnastics in the continental showcase.
With his latest golds, Yulo completes an already glittering collection that includes the Olympics, the World Championships, the Asian Championships, the World Cup and the Southeast Asian Games.
READ: Carlos Yulo completes redemption with double gold in 2026 Asiad
In men's pole vault, Obiena successfully defended his Asiad gold with a record-breaking performance despite inclement weather in Nagoya.
Obiena cleared 5.75m to secure the gold, but went on to break the Games record by successfully leaping 5.91m to become a back-to-back champion in the event.
READ: EJ Obiena rules Asiad pole vault anew, delivers PH's third gold
Yape took home the fourth gold for the Philippines in the inaugural virtual taekwondo event, dominating his opponents and dropping only one round in the entire competition.
The 22-year-old's gold came less than a day after the clinched bronze in the men's individual poomsae event.
Yape was given the honor to be the country's flag bearer at the closing ceremony, following his golden achievement in virtual taekwondo.
READ: Jeus Yape shines in virtual taekwondo for PH's fourth gold
READ: Taekwondo gold medalist Yape is PH flag-bearer in Asiad closing ceremonies
Before the Asiad wrapped up on Sunday, Team Philippines still had a few more chances to win more gold medals and surpass the four gold haul in previous editions.
But the next gold remained elusive following tough final losses in jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, boxing, mixed martial arts, 3x3 women's basketball, archery and sepak takraw.
Mixed martial arts fighter Jean Claude Saclag clinched the first silver following a heartbreaking defeat in the men's traditional –65kg final.
The silver medal finish of Gilas Pilipinas Women in 3x3 basketball still shone like gold, as this marks the first Asiad medal of the country in the sport.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Juliana Candelaria bagged silver in her Asiad debut, finishing second in the women's individual poomsae event.
Amaya Cojuangco delivered silver in the archery women's individual compound event, while Jean Marie Sucalit, Abegail Sinogbuhan, and Nelly Jay Salon followed it up in sepak takraw women's doubles event.
There was still hope for the country to surpass the four gold medal haul in the coming days, but Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam lost to hometown bet Rui Yamaguchi in the men's 55kg class final via split decision.
Taekwondo jins Tachiana Mangin (women's –49kg) and Olympian Kurt Barbosa (men's –58kg) reached the final in the kyorugi events, but both fell to their foes in the gold medal match.
The final shot at gold was jiu jitsu world champion Alexandria Enriquez, who won all her matches via submission on the way to the gold medal clash.
But in the final, the 27-year-old narrowly missed out on the gold in the women's –63 kg final, as a familiar foe in Thailand's Orapa Senatham got her revenge by winning via advantage.
The country brought home 16 bronze medals including Alex Eala in women's singles tennis, Eldrew Yulo in men's artistic gymnastics high bar, Albert Ian Delos Santos in men's 71kg weightlifting, Victoria Bossong in women's 800m, John Cabang Tolentino in men's 110m hurdles, Sofiah Pagara and Khylem Progella in beach volleyball and the soft tennis women's team.
Taekwondo bagged the most medals out of any sport for the country with five, winning one gold (Yape), three silver (Candelaria, Mangin, Barbosa), and one bronze (Yape).
Athletics came in second with three – Obiena's gold and bronze from Bossong and Tolentino, alongside gymnastics – two gold from Carlos and bronze from Eldrew.
MOMENTUM FOR LA2028
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Scenes from the closing ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture on October 4, 2026. POC Media POC President Tolentino noted that all of the gold medalists in this edition are male athletes, a contrast from the golden girls that ruled the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asiad.
"Masaya ba tayo sa resulta? Yes dahil nga doon sa record-breaking eh. And almost all medals from Olympics sports. Ibig sabihin papunta tayo sa direksyon ng LA," he added.
"With this result, dapat doon din tumutok ang PSC sa Olympic sports kasi malapit na yung LA, yung LA Olympics. What are those funding? Lahat ng available qualifying salihan na, foreign coaches, exposure," Tolentino added.
PSC said initial computation of incentives for medalists stands at P35 million, a figure he hopes may go higher as the Office of the President and corporate sponsors are eager to reward the athletes.
"Umaabot na po siya sa higit-kumulang mga P35 million in incentives or rewards to the Filipino athletes who won a medal, and that's for the athletes and for the coaches. Sana dagdagan pa 'yang 35 na 'yan! Sana dumami pa, wala po tayong problema diyan," Gregorio said.
China extended its dominance of the Asian Games, topping the medal tally for the 13th straight edition in Aichi-Nagoya.
The powerhouse country took home a massive 169 gold medals, 89 silvers and 83 bronze medals for a grand total of 341 medals.
Host Japan came in second with 83 golds, 95 silvers, 91 bronze for a total haul of 269 medals, while South Korea ranked third with 39 golds, 43 silver and 68 bronze for a total of 150 medals.
Thailand finished seventh to become the best Southeast Asian nation, bringing home 18 gold, 13 silver and 21 bronze for a total of 52 medals.
The next Asian Games are scheduled to take place in 2030 with Doha, Qatar as host.
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