Asian Games 2026: Darren Yap bags Singapore's first-ever taekwondo medal

Darren Yap won Singapore's first-ever taekwondo medal at the Asian Games, taking the joint bronze in the men's individual poomsae on 1 Oct. Photo: SNOC/Lim Weixiang

Competing overseas was never a goal for Darren Yap when he first picked up taekwondo at age four. But he “caught the bug” after his first international meet in 2017, and has since stamped his name into Singapore sporting history by winning the Republic’s first taekwondo medal at the Asian Games.

The 22-year-old took the joint bronze in the men’s individual poomsae on 1 Oct after finishing fourth with his score of 9.04 in the final at the Toyohashi City General Gymnasium.

Darren Yap in the men's individual poomsae event en route to winning Singapore's first-ever taekwondo medal at the Asian Games. Photo: SNOC/Lim Weixiang

“I don’t even know how to describe it, but I’m just very, very happy. Now, when people see the country Singapore in their bout list, they will get worried, hopefully,” said Yap, who is featuring in his second Asiad and fifth major Games.

“Back at home, I hope I’m able to inspire a new generation of players who will want to train and be able to do what I do, or do even better than me.”

He shares the joint bronze with third-ranked Jeus Yape of the Philippines, who scored 9.09. South Korea’s Yun Kyu-sung scored 9.38 for gold ahead of Navin Pinthasute of Thailand (9.28).

Yap, who also clinched the joint bronze in poomsae at the 2025 SEA Games, had scored 8.8300 to rank second in his semi-final heat earlier in the day.

“Coming into this competition, I tried to enter this without any expectations and not focus on the end result, but more to enjoy the process. I think that led to a good result today,” said Yap, whose pre-Games preparation included a seven-week training stint in South Korea after competing at the world championships last month.

The individual poomsae event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games requires athletes to perform one recognized poomsae and one freestyle poomsae. Scores are awarded for each routine and an athlete’s final score is taken using the average of both.

Darren Yap scored 9.04 in the men's individual poomsae final at the Asian Games on 1 Oct, finishing fourth and clinching Singapore's first-ever taekwondo medal at the Asiad. Photo: SNOC/Lim Weixiang

Yap was the sixth of eight athletes in the final line-up, and his routines propelled him to second place, guaranteeing him a medal. He pumped his fists in triumph after seeing his scores, and said of his celebration: “It took a while to process. But after a few seconds, I realised that I’ll be getting a medal and internally, I just started screaming. But I had to keep myself cool while walking out. It’s a very surreal experience … it’s probably been the best performance I’ve done this year and I’m very glad to end the year on a high note.”

At the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, where the poomsae event was a single-elimination tournament, Yap was knocked out in the Round of 16.

“I think I’m more experienced now; I’m able to calm myself down even more and enjoy the moment a lot more,” he explained. “I think enjoying yourself while competing is very important in order to succeed.”

Darren Yap is featuring in his second Asian Games at the Aichi-Nagoya edition. He returns to action on 2 Oct for virtual taekwondo. Photo: SNOC/Lim Weixiang

The process of competing is exactly what Yap, a former school team footballer, enjoys. Describing himself as a “very competitive” person, he said: “I’ve always played sports … and also like to play a lot of games in general. Sometimes I would say, ‘Oh it’s fine, it’s just a game’, but deep down I know I’m quite annoyed I didn’t win. It can be (a game of) scissors, paper, stone, but I would just want to win. I think that’s what helps me with thriving in this kind of environment.”

“I enjoy the environment, the crowd, being on the stage and just being able to express my skills and show what I’m capable of … it’s very fun to be able to do what I love on a big stage.”

He returns to the big stage on 2 Oct for virtual taekwondo, which is making its debut at the Asian Games.

Yap will be adopting a similar approach for his second event, as he said: “It’s going to be a new sport for most of the players here, and I think at this stage, anything can happen. We’ll just see how it goes. I’m not trying to focus on the end result yet, I just want to enjoy the process and we’ll see where it leads us.”

In the women’s poomsae, compatriot Nicole Khaw’s score of 8.39 placed her fifth in her semi-final heat, one rung short of the top-four finish required to reach the final. The 27-year-old said of her Asian Games debut: “I was definitely nervous going into this and I knew I wanted to put everything I had practiced as best as I could onto the mat. I spoke to my brother (SEA Games gold medallist Nicholas Khaw) last night … and he reminded me that if I was nervous, I would not be able to give my 100 per cent, so I think that was the sentence that really stuck with me. I think I did as best as I could with the abilities that I have at the moment”

Nicole Khaw was fifth in her semi-final heat of the women's individual poomsae at the Asian Games on 1 Oct. Photo: SNOC/Lim Weixiang

Khaw, who won the women’s poomsae silver on her SEA Games debut last year, will leave Japan with renewed motivation.

“I feel like with every Games, I grow in a different way. This time I think it was the same, I do know there’s space to grow and I also do know that I want to grow,” she added. “These are things that will really push me into the next season and see what can be done and try to push those limits as I go into next season.”

The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.