Short track cyclists delivered a satisfactory performance at the UCI Track World Cup 2026 held in Hong Kong.
“Sergeant Major Muek” expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Thai national short track cycling team at the UCI Track World Cup 2026, Round 2, in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He said the results were acceptable compared to other Asian competitors, but there are still weaknesses to address and improvements needed ahead of the main goal, the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, later this year.
“Sergeant Major Muek,” General Decha Hemakrasri, 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, revealed that the Cycling Association sent three Thai national short track cyclists—“TJ” Jai Angsuthasawit, “Nao” Police Senior Sergeant Major Narasetthada Boonma, and “Makham” Police Senior Sergeant Major Yuenyong Petchrat—to compete in the UCI Track World Cup 2026, Round 2, held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from 17-19 April. The three cyclists’ performance and statistics were at an acceptable level compared to Asian rivals, but there remain areas that require urgent improvement and development ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October.
General Decha added that compared to world-class cyclists from Europe, America, or Australia, the standards are still quite far behind. In the team sprint event, the three Thai cyclists recorded a qualifying time of 44.781 seconds, ranking 13th out of 17 teams and not advancing to the second round. Meanwhile, Asian teams such as Japan recorded 43.270 seconds, China 43.810 seconds, Hong Kong 44.522 seconds, and South Korea 44.664 seconds. Analyzing the results, the Thai team’s first rider, Police Senior Sergeant Major Yuenyong, clocked 18.499 seconds, which was slower than other nations whose first riders recorded between 17.7 and 18.1 seconds. Jai and Narasetthada recorded times of 12.722 and 13.447 seconds respectively, which are within the average range for second and third riders among top teams.
“In the individual sprint event, Jai posted a qualifying time trial of 200 meters in 9.989 seconds, placing 30th, while Narasetthada recorded 10.097 seconds, ranking 41st; neither advanced. However, their times are close to their Asian competitors—Japan at 9.658 seconds, China 9.841 seconds, Hong Kong 9.939 seconds, and South Korea 9.941 seconds—with differences of only fractions of a second. The fastest qualifying time was by Matthew Richardson from the United Kingdom, clocking 9.391 seconds,” General Decha said.
General Decha also noted a disappointing result in the keirin event, Jai’s strongest discipline. Jai committed a foul in the first round, resulting in being penalized to last place in the heat, despite crossing the finish line first. While accelerating into the curve, Jai lost control and collided with a cyclist from the Czech Republic, causing the Czech rider to lose balance. The judges ruled to demote Jai to last place, thus missing the chance to advance—a regrettable outcome.
“Sergeant Major Muek” continued that results from the Thai short track cyclists in two major events—the 2026 Asian Track Cycling Championships in the Philippines at the end of March and the World Cup Round 2 in Hong Kong—have highlighted weaknesses requiring urgent attention. These include the first rider’s start in the team sprint and strategic adjustments during keirin races. Another critical factor is familiarity with the 250-meter velodrome track, as short track cycling is decided by fractions of a second, and any mistake immediately affects results. To address this, the Cycling Association plans to send the Thai national cyclists to train at a 250-meter velodrome in China during the final two months before competing at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
The Thai national short track cycling team is scheduled to compete in the UCI Track World Cup 2026, Round 3, at the Nilai Velodrome in Malaysia from 24 to 26 April. They will travel directly from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur on 20 April and begin training at the venue from 21 April onward.