Young jins Candelaria, Yape deliver Asian Games taekwondo medals

Young Filipino taekwondo jins Juliana Mykhail Candelaria and Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the individual poomsae events of the 20th Asian Games on Oct. 1, 2026, at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Japan.

The 18-year-old Candelaria debuted in the quadrennial meet in style, pulling off a flawless routine to place second on the scoresheet with a final average of 9.1300.

Candelaria had a strong start in the preliminary rounds and maintained her composure to score 8.4200 in the semifinals, securing a spot in the gold medal round.

Introducing herself on the global stage, Candelaria kicked off her bid with 9.200 in the recognized poomsae category, followed by 9.060 in freestyle.

Despite the impressive scores, South Korea’s Jung Haeun prevailed in the contest, edging Candelaria in both categories to finish her gold medal run with a final average of 9.3100.

Completing the list of podium finishers in this edition’s Asian Games women’s individual poomsae event was Thailand’s Thitaree Kaewolanwasu, who averaged 9.0400.

“Amazing, I feel great about everything,” Candelaria told One Sports in an interview.

“Super duper thankful pa rin talaga for this opportunity, at my age? Oh my gosh! I’m so hyped and so happy for everyone who competed. It’s such an amazing achievement for me.”

Meanwhile, Yape added another medal to the PHL taekwondo delegation after settling for bronze in the men’s individual poomsae event.

Just like Candelaria, the 22-year-old prized jin also made his Asian Games debut but performed like a veteran after averaging a final score of 9.0900.

Yape finished behind South Korea’s Yun Kyusung, who dominated the field with a gold-clinching final average of 9.3800, and Thailand’s Navin Pinthasute, who garnered silver with 9.2800.

Mabuhay ang atletang Pilipino! Pagpupugay sa inyo, Juliana Mykhail Candelaria at Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape!