The Cycling Association is moving forward with a training plan to ready cyclists for the Asian Games in Japan.
The Cycling Association is preparing its athletes to compete at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. "Sergeant Major Meuk" revealed that the association is selecting cyclists with medal prospects for 13 out of the 20 events hosted by the organizers, focusing on performances from the 33rd SEA Games and the 19th Asian Games.
Sergeant Major Meuk, General Decha Hemkrasri, Vice President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), President of the ASEAN Cycling Federation (ACF), and President of the Cycling Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage, announced that the association has begun training camps to prepare for the 20th Asian Games in Japan this September. Recently, the committee reviewing plans and budgets for athlete preparation invited the association to present details. He and his team made their presentation on 4 February at the Sports Authority of Thailand’s Chalerm Phrakiat 7 Rop Phra Chonlapratan building.
General Decha stated that the Cycling Association has decided to send athletes with medal potential for 13 events out of the 20 contested at the 20th Asian Games. The selection was mainly based on results from the 33rd SEA Games—where Thailand won 10 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals—and the previous 19th Asian Games. For track cycling, which includes 12 events, the focus is on short-distance races like team sprint, keirin, and sprint. At the 33rd SEA Games, the Thai team led by "TJ" Jai Angsuthasawit, "Nao" Police Senior Sergeant Major Norsetthathada Boonma, and "Makham" Senior Police Sergeant Major Yuenyong Petchrat performed excellently. Although the sprint team earned only silver, they lost to Malaysia by just 0.220 seconds.
General Decha added that for road cycling, there are four events: individual time trial and road race for both men and women. Thai cyclists have medal chances in all. The men's team is led by "Wut" Sergeant Sarawut Sirironnachai, gold medalist in both individual and team road races at the 33rd SEA Games, along with "Matum" Pilot Officer Peerapol Chaowchiangkwang, gold medalist in the men's individual time trial, and Thai-French rider Arti Pulard, who has competed at professional tour levels. The women's team features "Beez" Captain Jutatip Maneephan, gold medalist in criterium and road race, plus Sergeant Petchdarin Somraj and other promising young athletes with potential for strong performances.
Sergeant Major Meuk continued that BMX has only two gold medals contested: men's and women's BMX racing. Thailand’s top athlete, "Ae" Sergeant Gometh Sukprasert, winner of two SEA Games golds and three Asian championships, is the nation's medal hope. Also competing is Phutthaphum Nakpan, the 2024 and 2025 Asian Youth Champion, who could contend for medals. On the women's side, "Fah" Sergeant Chutikarn Kitwanitseth, silver medalist at the 18th Asian Games, along with rising stars Khemika Srisopa and Hathaipech Jaiswang, who placed in the top five at the 2024 and 2025 Asian BMX Championships under 23 category, are expected to perform well.
General Decha added that mountain biking also offers two gold medals—men's and women's cross-country. The association considered results from the 2026 Thailand MTB Cup held at Vajiralongkorn Dam, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province, on 14 January. Male athletes include Polchat Nakthongkham (5th place, men’s open), Watcharakorn Onthuri (10th, men’s open), Lieutenant Norapong Muangsuk (5th, men’s under-23), and Pongeera Pongayukul (10th, men’s under-23). Female athletes include Phumrat Chalermkit (silver medalist, youth women), Pinpak Chiangsuang (silver, women under-23), and Praphat Praphothang (4th, women under-23).
The Thai cycling president also noted that according to UCI world rankings, Thai athletes and the country rank satisfactorily. For men's road cycling, Thailand is ranked 43rd globally, and for women's road cycling, 38th. The qualification criteria for the 2028 Olympic Games will include athletes from countries ranked 1st to 45th for both men and women. In track individual events, Jai Angsuthasawit is ranked 87th worldwide and Norsetthathada Boonma 109th. Thai cyclists need to accumulate more points to secure places in the World Championships, as Olympic qualification will be based on 2026 and 2027 World Championships results.
General Decha said all athletes across disciplines will begin training camps starting 1 March, including both main athletes and sparring partners as per regulations. For road cycling, coaches will gather information on race routes and terrain to find suitable training locations nearby. Track cyclists may train in Taiyuan, China, which has a 250-meter velodrome, during July and August—about two months before the competition—to acclimate. The Asian Games track events will be held at the Velodrome in Izu, Japan, the venue for the 2020 Olympic Games. Thailand currently only has an outdoor 333.33-meter velodrome. The Cycling Association has never disappointed the Thai people and continues to work tirelessly and consistently to bring honor to the country,” General Decha concluded.