By OCA Young Reporter Zaynab Kawtharani
Nagoya, Japan, September 24, 2026: Korea’s Yeo Seojeong won the women’s artistic gymnastics vault final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Thursday, reclaiming the title she first won in 2018.
Yeo scored 14.483 at Nagoya Rainbow Hall. Defending champion An Chang Ok of DPR Korea claimed silver with 13.666, while China’s Du Siyu took bronze with 13.450. Du finished just 0.001 points ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu.
“I have won a gold medal for the first time in eight years. I prepared hard for it, so I am very happy,” Yeo said.
Yeo said expectations had increased the pressure on her. After recovering from two injuries, she chose a vault she could perform cleanly over her most difficult option, which carried a greater risk of error.
“The first one I won without really knowing anything,” she said of her 2018 gold. “This time I thought about it a great deal and, because I had come back from injury again, a great many people were cheering me on. So this gold medal means more.”
Yeo expressed sympathy for An after watching her fall during the final. “I wanted it to be a fair fight, so I felt sorry about it,” she said.
The battle for bronze came down to the final decimal place. Du said Nguyen’s vault had impressed her and that she was unsure whether she had finished ahead of the Vietnamese gymnast.
“The margin was tiny, and at the time I thought I might not have beaten her. So the moment the score came up I was thrilled,” Du said.
Du also praised Yeo’s performance under pressure. “To produce vaults of that quality under that kind of pressure, I really do admire her,” she said. Du added that she wanted to share news of her bronze medal with her parents.
Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusovitina, 51, finished fifth with 13.199. The eight-time Olympian, who won Asian Games vault bronze in 1994 and gold in 2002, said reaching the final had strengthened her confidence about pursuing a ninth Olympic appearance at Los Angeles 2028.
“I’m happy that I made the final, for starters, and that I’m performing just as well as all the young gymnasts. I’m really pleased about that,” Chusovitina said.