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Cycling: Young rider Coo shows potential, but bows out of Olympic qualifiers

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/06/01/coo.jpg"/></figure></div>Filipino-American rider Patrick Coo did not make the grade for cycling&#x27;s BMX racing in the Tokyo Olympics, but gained much in terms of experience when he competed against veterans at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Bogota.&quot;I&#x27;m always proud to represent the Philippines in any competition abroad,&quot; said the 19-year-old Coo. &quot;I&#x27;ll give it another shot.&quot;&quot;It&#x27;s been my dream, and I hope to win a medal for the Philippines,&quot; he added.Coo was given the call-up to vie in the Olympic qualifiers in the Colombian capital, thus foregoing his classification in the UCI BMX cycling as an under-23 rider to an elite competitor. In Round 3 of the World Cup, he finished 42nd in a field of 62, before ending up 45th in Round 4 on Saturday. Coo faltered in the Last Chance Races as well, as he didn&#x27;t gain any points in the competition that could have boosted his chances of making it to the Tokyo Games.&quot;It was really a last-minute thing, and we did our best,&quot; said Coo, who was accompanied in Bogota by PhilCycling coaches Ednalyn Hualda and Frederick Farr. &quot;I&#x27;m so thankful to everyone, especially to Congressman Abraham Tolentino for assembling this really quick,&quot; he added. &quot;We really gave our all. My first World Cup — with a big expectation — I tried to live up to it but it was hard, my best wasn&#x27;t good enough.&quot;Tolentino, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, expressed his pride at Coo&#x27;s efforts and said this was just the beginning for the young cyclist.&quot;He&#x27;s still young and he&#x27;s got a lot of BMX racing ahead of him,&quot; said Tolentino.Coo was the lone Filipino -- and only Asian -- to vie in the Bogota event. Daniel Caluag, the 2014 Asian Games gold medalist and London 2012 Olympian -- skipped the qualifier, saying he was not in shape as his job as a medical frontliner in Kentucky kept him from training during the pandemic.For Coo, the experience he got in Bogota only inspired him to work harder.&quot;Every time I compete in the US, I have a Philippine logo in my jersey uniform,&quot; he said. &quot;I am planning to train and compete at home.&quot;I have learned that the junior league speed is different in the Olympic qualifying level and we&#x27;re going to step up in the next few races,&quot; he vowed.

Filipino-American rider Patrick Coo did not make the grade for cycling's BMX racing in the Tokyo Olympics.

Filipino-American rider Patrick Coo did not make the grade for cycling's BMX racing in the Tokyo Olympics.