"Pinpak," Thailand's rising mountain bike star, impresses in Malaysia; "Sergeant Muek" praises the promising new cyclist with a bright future.
Pinpak Chiangsuon, a rising mountain bike cyclist on Thailand's national team, delivered a strong performance to win the silver medal in the women's under-23 category at the “Seoul International Mountain Bike Challenge 2026” in Malaysia, earning world ranking points toward the 2028 Olympic Games qualification. Meanwhile, the Thai mountain bike team collected a total of 2 gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. "Sergeant Muek" praised Pinpak as a promising new rider but noted she needs more experience to rise to the top level in Asia.
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 the Royal Patronage, revealed that the Thai Cycling Association sent the national mountain bike team, preparing for the 20th Asian Games, to compete at the “Seoul International Mountain Bike Challenge 2026” in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. This event is part of the “Asian Continental Series 2026,” ranked above C1 level, and includes world ranking points for the 2028 Olympic Games quota at Los Angeles, USA.
General Decha stated that on 23 August, he received a report from Mr. Robert Herber Jr., the American head coach, that the Thai national cyclists competed in four cross-country categories: men's open, with Master Sergeant Poonsiri Sirimongkol; men's under-23, with Mr. Pongpeera Pongayukul; women's under-23, with Ms. Pinpak Chiangsuon and Ms. Pornpak Propthang; and men's masters, with Master Sergeant Seri Ruangsiri.
The results showed that in the men's masters category (12.8 km), Master Sergeant Seri won the gold medal with a time of 1:01:34 hours, followed by Mohammad Sukri Tahir from the host San Dragon team at 1:04:24, and Effandi Nor Rosli from the host AGPC team in third at 1:12:26.
In the women's under-23 category (16 km), the gold medal went to Elvia Tri Wurandari of Indonesia, silver medalist in the 2025 Asian Cross-Country Relay Championship, from team Bola 1000 Family, finishing in 1:27:20 hours. Pinpak Chiangsuon, Thailand's rising female cyclist, took silver with a time of 1:30:40, while Pornpak Propthang earned bronze at 1:37:50.
In the men's open category (22.4 km), Master Sergeant Poonsiri competed against 15 riders from six Asian countries but could not match the strength of Japanese and Kazakh national cyclists, finishing best at 7th place. In the men's under-23 category (19.2 km), Pongpeera competed with 20 riders from 10 countries and placed 11th, with the gold medal won by a Japanese cyclist.
In summary, the Thai mountain bike team secured 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Previously, the Thai team had already won a gold medal through "Tomorn" Master Sergeant Poonsiri Sirimongkol in the cross-country eliminator event, bringing the total tally to 2 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze.
"The Thai national cyclists’ performance at this competition was satisfactory, especially female athlete Pinpak Chiangsuon, who is regarded as a promising young talent for Thailand. However, she needs to build more experience because when facing top Indonesian cyclists, we still cannot match their strength. Meanwhile, the male cyclists need to work on improving several weaknesses," General Decha concluded.