Asian Games Gymnastics Standings: Yeo Seojeong Tops Vault Qualifications as Medal Race Heats Up in Nagoya

The women's vault qualification at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya concluded on Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes final that blends a fierce inter-Korean rivalry with unprecedented athletic longevity. South Korea's Yeo Seojeong dominated the field, posting a combined score of 14.466 across her two attempts to secure the top spot in the standings. Yeo, a bronze medalist at both the Paris Olympics and the Antwerp World Championships, executed a 5.4 difficulty vault for a 14.300, followed by a cleaner 5.0 difficulty vault that earned 14.233.[1][2]

Trailing Yeo in second place is North Korea's An Chang Ok, the reigning Asian Games champion. An attempted a higher-difficulty 5.6 skill on her first run, scoring 14.000, but faltered slightly on her second attempt to finish with an average of 13.900. The upcoming final on September 24 will wipe the qualification scores clean, giving An a fresh opportunity to defend her title against Yeo, who missed the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou due to a scheduling conflict with the World Championships.[1][2]

China's Du Siyu secured the third qualifying position with a 13.433, but much of the international attention in Nagoya centered on the fourth-place qualifier. Uzbekistan's 51-year-old gymnastics icon Oksana Chusovitina advanced to the medal round with a score of 13.266. Competing in her seventh Asian Games—her first was the 1994 edition in Hiroshima—the eight-time Olympian confirmed she has no intention of retiring. Speaking to reporters after the session, Chusovitina announced her plans to attempt qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.[1]

“I will try to qualify for 2028,” Chusovitina said following her performance. “It's sport, it's gymnastics. If it's possible, I will try to compete at LA28. As long as I'm enjoying it, as long as I can do it, why do I need to stop?”

Further down the standings, India's sole gymnastics representative, Pranati Nayak, claimed the seventh spot with a 12.916 average. The 31-year-old's qualification marks a successful return to major competition following a grade 2 ankle ligament tear suffered in 2025. Nayak posted a 13.000 on her first vault and a 12.433 on her second, opting for clean execution over maximum difficulty to ensure her progression.[1][3][5]

“Our target will be to qualify for the first final,” said Nayak's coach, Ashok Mishra, noting that they held back her highest-difficulty Tsukahara 720 vault during the preliminary round. “When she qualifies for the final, we have two days to think whether we'll go all out. We'll see how she suits the equipment, and how she does it.”[3]

The eight-woman final will be rounded out by Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu in fifth (13.199), and Malaysian teammates Yeap Kang Xian (13.049) and Marissa Zaiful Azian (12.849) in sixth and eighth, respectively. The Nagoya competition serves as a critical benchmark for the region's elite gymnasts, with many using the continental championships to finalize their routines ahead of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam this October.[1][4]

With the qualification slate wiped clean for Thursday's final, the podium remains entirely open. Yeo holds the momentum and the execution advantage, but An's higher difficulty ceiling and Chusovitina's unmatched experience ensure the medal race will demand near-perfect landings.[2][4]