Thai Cyclist Finishes 17th in Nagoya Road Race
Thailand's Thanakarn Chaiyasmit finished 17th in the men's road race at the Asian Games in Nagoya on September 23, posting the best result for the country's three-cyclist team on a challenging 160-kilometer course hampered by heavy rain.
General Decha Hemmakrasri, vice president of the Asian Cycling Confederation and head of the Thailand Cycling Association, announced that Thailand fielded three cyclists in the men's individual road race at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan on September 23. The three competitors were Pairaplai from Chiang Khwang, Sarawuth Sirinanchai, and Thanakarn Chaiyasmit. According to team manager Coach Wisut Kasiyapat, the race attracted 40 cyclists from 17 countries on a challenging circuit course covering 160 kilometers over six laps with both flat and mountainous terrain. Heavy rain fell throughout the event, making the road slippery and causing several accidents, including one involving a United Arab Emirates cyclist that nearly caught Thanakarn off guard.
When the race concluded, Thanakarn achieved the best result for Thailand, finishing 17th with a time of 4 hours 27 minutes 38 seconds, followed by Pairaplai in 22nd place and Sarawuth in 23rd with 4 hours 32 minutes 48 seconds. Gold went to Alexey Lutsenko, a professional cyclist from Kazakhstan, who completed the course in 4 hours 13 minutes 11 seconds. Silver was won by Yuhi Todome of Japan in 4:15:09, and bronze by Evgeny Fedorov of Kazakhstan in 4:15:51. Among Asian competitors, Indonesia's Muhammad Selhan Nur Rahman finished first overall at 11th place with 4:21:04, with Thanakarn claiming second place in Asia.
General Decha stated that the road cycling team will return to Thailand immediately, with some athletes including Pairaplai and Thanakarn joining Thailand's emerging young cycling talents at the Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 in Malaysia from September 27 to October 4 to accumulate points for selection to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Additionally, three other Thai road cyclists will compete in the UCI Road World Championships 2026 in Montreal, Canada from September 25-27. The next cycling event at the 20th Asian Games will be mountain biking on September 24-25, and General Decha called for public support for Thai athletes. Coach Wisut noted that today's competition was extremely difficult, with strong international competition and severe weather conditions, particularly heavy rain throughout much of the race on a narrow course.
