NAGOYA—Taekwondo gold medalist Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape will carry the Philippine flag at the closing ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games on Oct. 4. The ceremony is set for 5 p.m. (Manila time) at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino endorsed the choice ahead of the ceremony. “He’s deserving for that honor,” Tolentino said.

Why Jeus Yape Earned the Philippine Flag Bearer Honor

Tolentino said the role also honors Yape’s sport. “It will be a recognition not only for Jeus but also for taekwondo, which finally won its first Asian Games gold medal since 1994, when the sport became a medal event in the games,” he added.

Yape topped the mixed virtual taekwondo event, an open-gender competition that combines combat sports with virtual reality and motion-tracking technology. His victory highlighted a best-ever 1-3-1 gold-silver-bronze haul by the Filipino jins.

Yape also clinched bronze in the men’s individual poomsae. That gave him two medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, including the Philippines’ first Asian Games gold in taekwondo.

Team Philippines Athletes Joining the Closing Ceremony

Juliana Candelaria, a silver medalist, will also join the closing ceremony. Taekwondo athletes Tachiana Mangin and Kurt Barbosa and boxer Carlo Paalam round out the group.

Paris Olympics boxing bronze medalist Aira Villegas and weightlifting world junior champion Albert Ian de los Santos carried the flag at the Sept. 19 opening ceremony. The hosts opened the Games at the same stadium.