Toyota honors Asian sporting standouts

Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo and para swimmer Ernie Gawilan were among seven athletes whose achievements Toyota Motor Asia celebrated following the 2026 Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The recognition came as Toyota hosted its One Team Asia event in Nagoya, where athletes and musicians from across the region gathered for a program that combined sporting achievements with a new music collaboration.

Yulo won two gold medals in the men’s floor exercise and vault, which gave the Philippines its first two gold medals at the Asian Games.

Gawilan also delivered another strong performance at the Asian Para Games. He secured his third consecutive gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle S7 and added a silver in the men’s 200-meter individual medley SM7.

Both Filipinos belong to Toyota’s Global Team Toyota Athletes program, which supports seven competitors from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Other athletes recognized included Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who secured his country’s first Asian Games gold medal in men’s singles badminton.

Indonesian para cyclist Muhammad Fadli Imamuddin won gold in the men’s C4 4,000-meter individual pursuit and established a Games record of four minutes and 50.169 seconds.

Singaporean para swimmer Toh Wei Soong collected five medals, with two silvers and three bronzes across different swimming events.

Malaysia’s Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi earned silver in the men’s 400-meter T20 with a time of 48.34 seconds. Vietnamese para powerlifter Lê Văn Công also won silver in the men’s 49-kilogram category after a successful lift of 171 kilograms. His performance gave Vietnam its first medal of the Games.

Apart from the sporting recognition, Toyota introduced a regional music collaboration called “New Day Rising” under its Move Your World Beat initiative.

The project brought together seven musicians from different parts of Asia who developed original compositions from sounds sampled from Toyota vehicles.

Among the participating artists were Miguel Benjamin and Paolo Benjamin of the Philippine indie folk-pop band Ben&Ben.

They worked alongside Singaporean singer-songwriter Shye, Malaysian musician and DJ Belle Sisoski, Pakistani artist Natasha Noorani and Thai-Italian singer-songwriter Valentina Ploy.

Their individual musical works contributed to “New Day Rising,” which Toyota presented during the Nagoya gathering.

The company also released “Move Your World Beat Volume 1,” a collection of the artists’ individual tracks.

Toyota Motor Asia vice president Preston Tan said the performances of the athletes demonstrated how personal determination could lead to achievements that encourage others.

He said the company’s support for athletes goes beyond recognizing medals and records. Toyota also wants to provide opportunities for people with different abilities and backgrounds to pursue their interests.

Tan said the music collaboration followed a similar approach because it allowed artists from different countries to contribute their own styles to a common project.

The Nagoya gathering brought Toyota’s regional sports and music activities together after the two major sporting competitions.

The company said it would continue supporting athletes and creative talents through programs that encourage broader participation across Asian communities.