Coo, Caluag bite dust in race to Paris

Asian BMX Male Elite finals01_206 Patrick Coo

Daniel Caluag and Patrick Coo couldn’t get the break to go their way Sunday and lost their respective chances of seeing action in the Paros 2024 Olympics.

Caluag suffered from a faulty start and failed to make the finals, while Coo got into a tight fix in the gold medal race as the Asian Cycling Confederation BMX Championships at Tagaytay City BMX Park came to a close with Thailand and Japan sending bets to the glitzy French capital.

“Breaks of the game,” the 36-year-old Caluag said of the misfortune suffered at the start of the men’s elite race where his front wheel momentarily got stuck at the starting gate, resulting in the loss of at least two seconds.

Footing lost

Coo, a former Asian junior champion, was in contention to break up front until he was caught in a tight bind also on the table top as the Philippines, unlike in 2012 in London where Caluag saw action, will be without a representative in the BMX event in Paris.

In an effort to squeeze up front, Coo lost his left foot on the pedal and eventually finished last in the eight-rider final behind gold medalist Komet Sukpraser of Thailand.

Sukpraser and women’s elite winner Sae Hatakeyama of Japan earned automatic qualifications.