Thai Runner Kieran Tuntivate Skips Asian Games to Focus on Marathon

Kieran Tuntivate, a Thai-British middle and distance runner with three Southeast Asian Games gold medals at the 33rd Games in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m, posted on Instagram expressing disappointment at not being selected for Thailand's 2026 Asian Games team in Japan. The Thai Athletics Association confirmed that Tuntivate notified them in June of his decision to transition focus to full marathon training over track distances, with representation for Thailand now targeted at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if he qualifies in the marathon.

In his Instagram post, Tuntivate stated: "Not moving on from the track to the roads for good, maybe just for now," and elaborated on his difficult decision. "I'm sorry that I won't be representing Thailand at the upcoming Asian Games," he wrote. "Transitioning to marathon training is very challenging, but my coach and advisors believe I should focus on the marathon this year as it represents my best opportunity to perform well for Thailand at the Los Angeles Olympics. If I don't commit to marathon training now, I may not have time to reach my full potential before the 2028 Olympics. I wish I could do both, but the training and conditioning required for marathon running won't allow me to compete at a high level on the track at the Asian Games level. The good news is my marathon training is going well and I'm targeting Southeast Asian and Thai records when I compete at the Chicago Marathon on October 11th."