"Shirt off, it works better!": Eloni Vunakece leaps Australia to victory on Physical: Asia Episode 8

After the hand wrestling showdown delivered one of the season’s biggest upsets, Physical: Asia Episode 8 kept the momentum going with its next mini challenge — the Vertical Jump Match.

What followed was a lighthearted yet fiercely competitive display of athleticism that ended with Australia’s Eloni Vunakece soaring higher than anyone else in the Physical: Asia arena — literally.

The challenge required each team’s chosen athlete to leap and touch a target at increasing heights.

Representing the four surviving nations were Australia’s Eloni Vunakece, Japan’s Katsumi Nakamura, Korea’s Yun Sung-bin, and Mongolia’s Dulguun Enkhbat.

Physical: Asia - Eloni’s shirtless leap lands a win

As the Master announced the first height — 300 centimeters — laughter spread across the room.

“Three hundred? Wow, that’s really high,” said South Korea's Min-jae, shaking his head.

Australia's Alexandra says that Eloni "literally just does this for fun"

As the match began, all eyes turned to the former rugby league player from Sydney.

Eloni’s first jump cleared the 300-centimeter mark effortlessly.

“Easy money, G!” teammate Dom shouted as the Australian team erupted.

All the other players hit the 300 mark, and Australians praised Sung-bin's "floating" ability.

The Master raised the height to 320 centimeters. The arena collectively gasped. Amotti exclaimed, 

“Three meters and twenty?”

Dom leaned toward his team, Australians say,

“Full jump, nice touch. Just don’t miss it.”

Eloni leaps for the first attempt and misses it by a few centimeters.

The shirt comes off

As the tension rose, Eloni took off his shirt and said, 

“It works better when you do it like this.”

The arena burst into laughter and cheered. Eun-sil joked, 

“Why’d he take his shirt off?”

With his teammates chanting, “Let’s go, bro!”, Eloni launched upward, brushing the target with his fingertips.

“I touched it!” he yelled. “He touched it!” Dom shouted back, confirming the victory. He says,

“See? Take the shirt off — it works better!”

All the other participants then attempted and missed the 320 mark.

Korea and Japan even tried the "shirt off" tactic, adding a bit of humor to the arena, but it didn't work for them as it did for Australia.

The Master declared Australia the winner of the Vertical Jump Match.

The lighthearted moment turned celebratory. “That’s our boy!” Katelin shouted as the Australian team cheered.

“Of all the teams left,” said Nakamura afterward, “Australia was by far the biggest threat to any of us. And this was a painful reminder. How can you beat that?”

“I am the highest jumper in all of the Asian nations,” Eloni said after the match. “‘Asia’s highest jumper, Eloni Vunakece.”

Reactions and the aftermath

Even competitors couldn’t help but admire the feat.

“Someone with that build being able to jump that high?” Korea’s Dong-hyun said. “I couldn’t believe it was the same guy.”

Mongolia’s Dulguun Enkhbat, who narrowly missed the 320-centimeter target, called it humbling,

“I thought I could do better. That was disappointing.”

Katsumi, meanwhile, took the loss in his stride.

“I tried to be optimistic,” he said. “But 320 centimeters is a little too high for me. Still, I got closer than I thought — which might be worse!”

The Vertical Jump Match ended Episode 8 on a lighter note after a string of eliminations and emotional battles.

It showcased the mix of strength, humor, and camaraderie that defines Physical: Asia.

As the dust settled, the four remaining nations — Australia, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia — stood ready for the next quest.

But for a few moments, the arena belonged entirely to Eloni Vunakece — shirtless, smiling, and victorious.

Stay tuned for more updates.