At A Glance
- Rising star Thirdy Mana-ay took the spotlight as he delivered the lone gold for Team Philippines in the recently concluded 2026 Thailand MTB Cup in Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi.
(Thirdy Mana-ay FB post)
Rising star Thirdy Mana-ay took the spotlight as he delivered the lone gold for Team Philippines in the recently concluded 2026 Thailand MTB Cup in Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi.
The 18-year-old Mana-ay, carrying the Go for Gold Philippines banner, outpaced his rivals in the 4.1-kilometer, five-lap cross-country Olympic race, after clocking in one hour and 50 seconds to rule the Junior Men division.
He bested Indonesian Achmad Dhani (1:01:29) and Thai Natchanon Chaidi (1:03:09), who settled for silver and bronze honors, respectively.
Apart from his triumph, the Santa Barbara, Iloilo rider also earned 20 UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) points to improve his ranking dramatically, jumping from No. 135 to No. 65 with 92 points.
Meanwhile in Women Elite, country’s top cyclist Shagne Yaoyao came up short as she crossed the line at one hour, 12 minutes, and 27.8 seconds, good for fifth place.
She, however, still received a medal and certificate as well as securing 40 UCI points for 280 overall at No. 144 in her division.
The 29-year-old Yaoyao, a multi-medalist in local and international meets, fell behind Indonesia’s Sayu Dewi (1:06:49.7), Japan’s Yui Ishida (1:10:08.8), Kazakhstan’s Tatyana Geneleva (1:10:30), and Malaysia’s Phi Kun Pan (1:10:57.1).
Other Filipino bets in Adrian Nacario (6th) and John Andre Aguja (9h) participated in Men Elite and Men U23, respectively, where they missed the medal positions.