FILIPINO-AMERICAN BMX racer Patrick fell short in his Tokyo Olympic push at the recent Union Cycliste Internationale BMX Supercross World Cup in Colombia, which was an Olympic qualifying tournament.
FILIPINO-American Patrick Coo will not make the trip to Tokyo for the Olympic Games after falling short at the recent Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) BMX Supercross World Cup in Colombia.
Nineteen-year-old Coo, who is based in California, finished 42nd in a field of 62 riders in Stage 3 of the World Cup, an Olympic qualifying event, at the Pista BMX track in Bogota on Saturday, and was 45th in Stage 4 on Sunday. He also did not make the grade in the Last Chance races.
The Asian juniors champion two years ago was given the call-up to vie in the Olympic qualifier in the Colombian capital, thus foregoing his classification in UCI BMX cycling as an under-23 rider to an elite competitor.
Despite failing to make the cut, Mr. Coo said his experience in the high-profile supercross event was valuable, and something he will take cue from as he further develops his skills.
“It was really a last-minute thing and we did our best. We really gave our all. My first World Cup — with a big expectation — I tried to live up to it…” he said.
“I’m always proud to represent the Philippines in any competitions abroad, I’ll give it another shot. It’s been my dream and I hope to win a medal for the Philippines. I am proud to be a Filipino,” Mr. Coo added.
The Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling), for its part, appreciated the effort Mr. Coo gave in the qualifiers and looked forward to helping him grow in the sport and see him succeed.
“Patrick did his best, and I am proud of him for being so,” said PhilCycling head Abraham Tolentino, also the Philippine Olympic Committee president. “He’s still young and he’s got a lot of BMX racing ahead of him.”
In the Bogota qualifiers, Mr. Coo was the only Filipino — and only Asian — to compete. Daniel Caluag, the 2014 Asian Games gold medalist and London 2012 Olympian — skipped the qualifier as he admitted not being in shape as his job as a nurse in the United States kept him away from training during the pandemic.
Mr. Coo was joined in the event by PhilCycling coaches Ednalyn Hualda and Frederick Farr. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo