Thai Mountain Biker Pinpak Chiangsuwan Shines at Malaysia Event
Thai mountain biker Pinpak Chiangsuwan won silver in the women's under-23 category at the Asian Continental Series 2026 event in Malaysia, helping Thailand earn Olympic qualification points for Los Angeles 2028.
Pinpak Chiangsuwan, an emerging Thai mountain biker, delivered a strong performance by winning silver in the women's under-23 category at the Seoul International Mountain Bike Challenge 2026 in Malaysia, earning points toward qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Thai mountain biking team overall secured two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
General Decha Maikrasat, vice president of the Asian Cycling Confederation, president of the ASEAN Cycling Federation, and president of the Thai Cycling Association, revealed that Thailand's mountain bike team competed in the Asian Continental Series 2026 event in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia on August 23. The competition collected world ranking points for Olympic quota selection for Los Angeles 2028.
According to team coach Robert Herbert Jr., four categories competed: the men's open cross-country with Poonsiree Sirimongkol, men's under-23 with Pongsapira Pongayukul, women's under-23 with Pinpak Chiangsuwan and Pornpaktra Prapotheung, and masters men's with Saree Rueangsiree.
Masters men (12.8 km distance): Saree Rueangsiree won gold in 1 hour, 1 minute, 34 seconds. Second place went to Mohammad Sukri Tahir from San Dragon team at 1:04:24, and third to Affandi Nor Roslee from AGPC at 1:12:26.
Women's under-23 (16 km distance): Gold went to Elvia Tri Wurandari from the Indonesian team, a 2025 Asian Championships relay silver medalist, with a time of 1:27:20. Pinpak Chiangsuwan won silver at 1:30:40, while Pornpaktra Prapotheung took bronze at 1:37:50.
Men's open (22.4 km distance): Poonsiree competed against 14 other riders from six Asian countries but finished seventh. Men's under-23 (19.2 km distance): Pongsapira finished eleventh among 20 competitors from ten countries, with Japan's team taking gold.
Thailand's mountain bike team secured one gold, one silver, and one bronze. Combined with an earlier gold from Poonsiree in the cross-country eliminator, Thailand's total medal count reached two gold, one silver, and one bronze.
