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Thai cyclists pray for luck

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-28 11:22

Facing an uphill task in Doha to end their eight-year medal drought in the Asian Games cycling event, Thai cyclists are praying for some luck on the cycling track here on Monday.

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Pannarong Kongsamut and Banna Kamfu surprised their Asian rivals by winning the men's downhill and women's road race in the 1998 Games in Bangkok. Ever since, no other Thai cyclist has come close to finishing among the top three in the Asiad.

"To be honest, it's difficult for our athletes to compete with their counterparts from these countries. In the SEA Games, we can win something but in the Asian Games, it is almost impossible," bemoaned Maj Gen Decha Hemkrasri, secretary general of the Cycling Association of Thailand.

The fact that the Thai team returned from Busan four years ago empty-handed clearly explains how competitive the cycling events were in Asia.

"We set a very humble target of finishing between third and fifth positions. If we are lucky enough, we could win a bronze, but that will be very difficult," added Decha.

Decha pointed out that lack of sprinting ability was the main factor that is stopping Thailand cyclists from posing a challenge to their foreign rivals.

"In Malaysia, our cyclists could catch up with South Koreans and Chinese halfway through but in terms of sprint, we were not as fast as they were. Sprinting ability is more of a personal talent which cannot be taught. It's something that has been missing from our athletes," Decha said.

Despite rating his cyclists as under-dogs, Decha has some faint hopes that they could still emerge medallists if other competitors block one another during the races and take the Thais for granted. That was the case when Banna won the gold medal eight years ago.

"If they block each other and forget to keep their eyes on us, that could pave the way for us. Sometimes, we need a little luck to turn things around," added Decha.

The 15th Asian Games cycling competition will run from December 3 to 14.