Coo’s bronze at Asian BMX Championship boosts hopes for SEA Games gold

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Patrick Coo’s bronze medal finish at the Asian BMX Championships in Japan last weekend raises hopes for a potential gold at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

“It’s a strong prelude for Patrick to win the gold medal in Thailand, which is a little over a month away,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who also heads the national federation for cycling, PhilCycling.

Tolentino added, “He’s a strong potential for the gold and to improve on the two bronze medals our sport got in Cambodia two years ago,” referring to the two bronze medals veteran Ronald Oranza earned for the Philippines during the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.

Japanese riders Asuma Nakai and Ryo Shimada dominated at the Nagoya Keirin Stadium BMX Race Course in Aichi Prefecture, winning the gold and silver medals, respectively. Filipino rider Niño Martin Eday finished eighth, placing last in the field.

Meanwhile, Thailand ace Sukprasert did not participate in the Japan tournament. Sukprasert previously won both the race and time trial gold medals when BMX racing was last featured in the SEA Games during the 30th edition in 2019 in Tagaytay City.

Nakai earned the maximum 300 UCI ranking points, Shimada got 258 points, and Coo collected  22 points in the event, which also featured riders from Indonesia, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Jeanne Soliel Cervantes, meanwhile, finished  fourth in the Women’s Junior race behind Korea’s Kim Yeseo and Thailand’s Praphada and Paphichaya Khongpong.

Patrick Coo, the 2019 Asian Junior Champion aims to qualify for his first Olympic appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games. He follows in the footsteps of Guangzhou 2014 Asian Games champion Daniel Caluag, the first Filipino BMX racer to compete in the Olympics, in London 2012.

BMX racing at the Thailand SEA Games is scheduled for December 11 and 12 at the BMX Stadium inside the Kamol Sports Park in Bangkok.

via Samrix Tilanas, Staff Writer