Thai Siblings Shine in Asian BMX Racing Championship, Securing Gold and Silver

The 2026 Asian BMX Racing Championship held in Malaysia saw a strong performance from Thai siblings Puthapoom and Pumjaithai Nakpan. Puthapoom Nakpan, who also represents Thailand at the Asian Games, dominated the U23 men's category, leading from start to finish to secure the gold medal. Japanese cyclists took silver, and Chinese cyclists claimed bronze. His younger brother, Pumjaithai Nakpan, also earned a silver medal in the junior men's category, with Japanese cyclists taking gold and South Korean cyclists winning bronze. In the elite men's category, Kometh Sukprasert, another Thai national rider, performed well in the qualifying motos but had a slower start in the final. He was jostled by Patrick Brann Ku of the Philippines before the first corner, disrupting his rhythm and leading to a fifth-place finish. General Decha Hemkrasri, President of the Cycling Association of Thailand and Vice President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), acknowledged the issue and instructed head coach Harvey Creps to address the shortcomings, with the Asian Games being the primary target. Harvey Creps, head coach of the Thai BMX team, expressed satisfaction with the overall performance, despite Kometh's fifth-place finish. He noted that Kometh's time in moto 1 was superior to the eventual gold medalist from Japan, but the incident in the final cost him dearly. Regarding the women's team, Creps stated that while they are competitive within ASEAN, they still lag behind top Asian cyclists from Japan, South Korea, and China. He plans to refine tactics and address weaknesses in the remaining time before the Asian Games. Separately, the final round of the Thai National Road Cycling Championship and the Thai National Mountain Bike Championship (Cross Country) took place at Phumiphon Dam in Tak province from August 7-9. The opening ceremony for the cross-country mountain bike event on August 8 was presided over by Sunee Busapan, Deputy Governor of Tak Province, along with other officials from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Tak Office. Deputy Governor Sunee Busapan thanked the Cycling Association of Thailand for hosting the final championship round at Phumiphon Dam, highlighting the dam's potential for various sports events. She also thanked the Sports Authority of Thailand and TAT Tak for their support and invited visitors to experience the beauty of Tak province and Phumiphon Dam, known as the "Father's Dam." In the cross-country mountain bike races, Ponpuk Prapotang, a national rider and Asian Games athlete from Chiang Khan MTBRC 28, won the elite women's category (17.6 km) with a time of 1:08:47. She also secured the national championship title with 110 points, earning the Royal Trophy. Pinpak Chiangsuan of Royal Thai Navy Core Cycling took second place. Ponpuk Prapotang also won the U23 women's category with the same time, accumulating 114 points for the national championship. In the elite men's category (22 km), Cadet Worapong Muangsook of the Royal Thai Navy won with a time of 1:04:03. Asp. Sgt. Polachat Nakthongkham of Royal Thai Navy CoreNutrition finished second, and Pongsapeera Pongayugul of Club Maamui Nakhon Sawan - Fisherman's Friend Chiang Mai was third. Asp. Sgt. Polachat Nakthongkham secured the national championship title with 104 points. In the U23 men's category (22 km), Cadet Worapong Muangsook also won, followed by Pongsapeera Pongayugul and Kamonlacha Intong of the Air Force Cycling Club. Pongsapeera Pongayugul claimed the national championship title with 97 points. Nattachanon Jai-dee of the Air Force Cycling Team Raenong Racing (Banharn Concrete) won the junior men's category (17.6 km) in 57:59 minutes, also clinching the national championship title with a perfect score of 120 points. Prin Chuawen of Suan Khwan Muang Yala was second, and Kittipon Iamklai of Krabi Bike was third. In the junior women's category (13.2 km), Phummarat Chalermkit, a national rider preparing for the Asian Games from Fisherman's Friend Wat Dong Noi, won in 1:04:11, also achieving a perfect 120 points for the national championship title. For the 2026 Outstanding Athlete awards in Cross Country Mountain Biking, Ms. Ponpuk Prapotang from Chiang Khan MTBRC 28 received the women's award, and Mr. Nattachanon Jai-dee from the Air Force Cycling Team Raenong Racing (Banharn Concrete) received the men's award. The Outstanding Coach award went to Mr. Sommat Rerjai, Ponpuk's coach. Source: INN News