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Darren Yap took joint bronze in the mixed virtual taekwondo event on 2 Oct, clinching his second medal of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua
Taekwondo exponent Darren Yap won his second medal of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on 2 Oct, taking a joint bronze in the mixed virtual taekwondo event. He also clinched the joint bronze in the men's individual poomsae a day earlier, making history by clinching Singapore's first Asian Games medal in the sport.
In the mixed individual virtual taekwondo competition, the 22-year-old defeated Alisher Asymbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in the round of 16 at the Toyohashi City General Gymnasium. He then recorded another 2-0 victory over Iranian Amirsina Bakhtiari, before falling 2-0 to eventual silver medallist Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang of Vietnam.
Yap shares the joint bronze with Rita Bakisheva of Kazakhstan, while Jeus Yape of the Philippines took gold.
The virtual taekwondo discipline is making its first appearance at the Asian Games here. It takes a mixed gender, non-contact format, with athletes wearing virtual reality headgear and motion tracking devices as they do battle against their virtual opponent.
Darren Yap took joint bronze in the mixed virtual taekwondo event after reaching the semi-finals on 2 Oct. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua
This is also Yap's first competitive outing in the discipline, having started training in July. His only experience with virtual taekwondo prior to that took place in 2023 during the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore.
"Today's result was something that I did not expect, and I am very happy with this campaign. (Virtual taekwondo and the poomsae) are completely different disciplines, but some things that helped me are the flexibility and agility," said Yap.
"(Winning two medals) means a lot to me and I'm very grateful to be in this position. I think it's only (upwards) from here for me and for Singapore taekwondo."
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.
