Thailand swept two gold medals in the Asian downhill championships as Methasit soared to his fifth Asian title, while Wiphawee claimed her tenth continental championship.
Two Thai national downhill cyclists lived up to their favorites status at the 2026 Asian Mountain Bike Championships in Uzbekistan. "Best" Methasit Boonsaneh successfully defended his title, capturing his fifth Asian crown, while "Petch" Wiphawee Dekabales maintained her dominance by winning her tenth Asian championship, leading Thailand to a stunning two-gold haul in the downhill category.
"Sergeant Muak," 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, revealed that the Thai Cycling Association sent its national mountain biking team to compete at the 2026 Asian Mountain Bike Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 23 to 27 June. According to reports from Mr. Robert Herber Jr. and Sergeant Seri Ruangsiri, the two coaches of the Thai national team for the 20th Asian Games, in the men's and women's public downhill events, Thailand fielded their top riders: "Best" Asst. Sgt. Methasit Boonsaneh, a four-time Asian champion, and "Petch" Sgt. Wiphawee Dekabales, a nine-time Asian champion. They competed on an open mountain course where strong winds posed a significant challenge.
General Decha said that in the test run or time trial, Methasit recorded 2:28.367 minutes, finishing second behind Yuka Ikuta of Japan by nearly two seconds. Wiphawee finished first with a time of 2:45.503 minutes, three seconds ahead of Milatul Kasimah, the two-time defending champion from Indonesia. In the final round held in the afternoon, despite strong winds and a high-speed course, Thailand’s top downhill riders gave their all. Methasit and Wiphawee, both skilled in highly technical courses, did not disappoint Thai cycling fans, finishing with the best times and clinching the Asian downhill titles in the men's and women's categories with impressive performances.
"Methasit, the two-time defending champion, posted a final round time of 2:25.099 minutes, improving on his test run where he lost some time early on. He outpaced Chiang Cheng-Chang from Taiwan, who finished second with 2:26.094 minutes. Third place went to Yuka Ikuta of Japan with 2:26.682 minutes. However, the judges disqualified the Taiwanese rider for leaving the course, awarding the silver medal to Yuka and the bronze to Tetsuma Haguchi of Japan. In the women's category, Wiphawee recorded 2:44.843 minutes in the final, slightly slower than her test run by almost one second, but narrowly secured gold by 0.299 seconds over Milatul Kasimah. The bronze medal went to rising star Naomi Cardose of the Philippines, who posted 2:53.776 minutes," General Decha explained.
General Decha added that these two Asian downhill gold medals marked Methasit's third consecutive championship and his fifth overall, while Wiphawee claimed her tenth Asian title. This further confirmed Thailand’s continued dominance in Asian downhill cycling. He noted the unfortunate absence of downhill events in the upcoming 20th Asian Games in Japan; otherwise, the Thai cycling team would have been strong contenders for additional gold medals in both categories.
"The Thai national team still has two more events to compete in at the 2026 Asian Mountain Bike Championships: the women's under-23 cross-country Olympic event with Pornpak Prophotthang and Pinpak Chiangsuang; the youth women's category featuring Phumrat Chalermkit; and the men's cross-country Olympic event with Sgt. Punsiri Sirimongkol, Sgt. Watcharakorn Ontunli, and Phongpira Pongayukul. Besides vying for Asian titles, these competitions serve as the final test for Thailand’s mountain biking team in preparation for the 20th Asian Games in Japan this September," General Decha concluded.