THAILAND and Japan took the elite category gold medals and berths to the Paris 2024 Olympics at the close of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) BMX Championships at the Tagaytay City BMX Park on Sunday.
Tokyo Olympian Daniel Caluag lost some two seconds when his front wheel got stuck momentarily at the starting gate in the semifinals of the men’s elite race. The London 2012 Olympian couldn’t get into the final of the championships.
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“Breaks of the game,” said Caluag, 36, the Philippines’ only gold medalist at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games who is now completing his Nursing Administration Masters.
Coo, a former Asian junior champion, made the final and was in contention to break up front until he was caught in a tight bind also on the table top. He ended last.
Komet Sukpraser Sukpraser and women’s elite winner Hatakeyama of Japan earned automatic qualification to the Paris Olympics.
Indonesia’s Rio Akbar and Fasya Ahsana Rifki completed the men’s elite podium, while Wanyl Liao of China and Kanami Tanno of Japan finished second and third, respectively, in the women’s elite race.
Also winning on Sunday were Indonesia’s Shifa Maulidina Qotron Nada (women) and Japan’s Hyoga Kiuchi (men) in the junior race and Japan’s Neneka Nishimura (women) and Adiya Fajar Putu Soekarno (men) in the under-23 category of the event by both the International Cycling Union (UCI) and Asian Cycling Confederation and hosted by the PhilCycling and Tagaytay City led by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
Tagaytay City’s hosting of the championships earned praises from both UCI and ACC officials that inspired Tolentino to seek hosting major international competitions in the future.
“It was near perfect,” said Tolentino of the championships. “Near because we missed out on outright qualification for Paris. Breaks indeed.”
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