ASIAN GAMES: Virtual taekwondo's Yape scores fourth gold for PH

MANILA – Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape gave the Philippines its fourth gold medal in the 20th Asian Games after ruling the mixed individual virtual taekwondo at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan on Friday.

The 22-year-old Yape defeated Vietnam's Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau, 2-0. He beat Saudi Arabia's Dunya Bushuaib Saber, 2-1 (round of 16); Japan's Hayate Suzuki, 2-0 (quarterfinal); and Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva, 2-0 (semifinals).

Virtual taekwondo is an immersive, non-contact digital combat sport co-developed by World Taekwondo and Refract Technologies that translates real martial arts movements into an in-game avatar.

Yape also bagged the bronze medal in men's individual poomsae on Thursday.

He and fellow Asiad first-timer Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, silver medalist in women's individual poomsae, are student-athletes of the University of Santo Tomas. (PNA)