Singapore's Darren Yap clinches virtual taekwondo bronze at Asian Games
This is Yap's second Games medal, after his joint-bronze in the men's individual poomsae on Thursday.
Darren Yap's bronze in virtual taekwondo on Oct 2, 2026, is his second medal at the Asian Games, after he earlier took bronze in the men’s individual poomsae. (Photo: SpexSG/Andy Chua)
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NAGOYA: A day after becoming the first Singaporean taekwondo exponent to win an Asian Games medal, 22-year-old Darren Yap made history again with a joint-bronze in the mixed virtual taekwondo event.
At the Toyohashi Gymnasium on Friday (Oct 2), Yap made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing 0-2 to Vietnam's Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang. Losing semi-finalists are awarded a joint-bronze in the event.
Earlier, he beat Kyrgyzstan's Alisher Asymbek Uulu 2-0 in the opening round and overcame Iran's Amirsina Bakhtiari 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
This was the first time virtual taekwondo featured at the Asian Games. It was showcased at Singapore's Olympic Esports Week in 2023 and held its inaugural world championships in Singapore the following year.
Co-developed by World Taekwondo and Singapore-based technology company Refract Technologies, virtual taekwondo combines the physical movements and techniques of taekwondo with virtual reality and motion-tracking technology.
Athletes wear virtual reality headsets and motion-tracking devices, or nodes, on their spine, thighs and shins.
Their movements are translated onto digital avatars, allowing them to kick and attack their opponent in a virtual arena without making physical contact. Successful strikes deplete their opponent's virtual health bar.
Unlike traditional taekwondo, virtual taekwondo features mixed-gender competition and does not have weight categories.
On Thursday, Yap clinched joint-bronze in the men's individual poomsae after finishing behind South Korea's Yun Kyu-sung (9.3800), Thailand's Navin Pinthasute (9.2800) and the Philippines' Derick Yape (9.0900).
Both the third- and fourth-placed finishers are awarded joint-bronze in the event.
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