"Sergeant Major Muek" praises "Sunisa" for her fighting spirit, finishing 35th in the road race amid intense heat.
"Sergeant Major Muek," General Decha Hemkrasri, revealed that Sunisa Jumthong, a rising cyclist on the Thai national team, fought with all her heart in the road race at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal amid scorching heat. Seven athletes, including the host nation's cyclist, failed to finish. He also emphasized the Cycling Association of Thailand's strategy to seek out promising young athletes from all categories of the Thai Championships to continuously promote them to the national team and international competitions.
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, stated that the association sent the promising young cyclist Sunisa Jumthong to compete at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. He recently received a report from "Coach B"—Lieutenant Colonel Juthathip Maneepan, team manager and coach—on Sunisa's performance in the women's individual road race held last Sunday, noting that Sunisa performed impressively.
General Decha said that according to Coach B’s report, the road race was conducted on a circuit course requiring seven laps of 8.5 kilometers each, totaling 59.5 kilometers. Athletes from 42 countries competed amid intense heat, causing many to drop out early due to the temperature. Nevertheless, Sunisa fought with all her heart, staying with the group to finish the race in 35th place with a time of 1:45:26. The gold medal went to Angelina Novolodskaya from Russia with a time of 1:31:19. Seven athletes, including a host nation competitor, did not finish. Sunisa still has one event remaining—the time trial, with 42 competitors from 42 countries racing one lap of 8.5 kilometers.
General Decha added that Sunisa is a promising young athlete with a bright future, having represented Thailand at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in 2025. The Cycling Association of Thailand has a strategic plan to continuously promote and develop cycling excellence by selecting talented athletes from the Thai National Road Cycling Championships held throughout the year to strengthen the national team and send them to international events. This plan extends beyond road cycling to mountain biking, BMX, and track cycling. If an athlete shows outstanding skills, the association considers them for national team selection as well.