The only Asian in the latest Olympic sport, BMX cycling, is Pinoy
Twenty-five year old Filipino-American Daniel Caluag is the only Asian competing in the BMX racing event at the 2012 London games.
BMX is one of the four cycling disciplines, together with track, mountain biking, and road racing. It is only the second time that BMX Racing will be conducted in the Olympics after it was introduced at the 2008 Beijing games for the first time.
Caluag was born in Chino, California in 1987 to Filipino parents. According to an interview with the Wall Street Journal, his father came from Bulacan while his mother is from Nueva Ecija.
At the age of 10, Caluag started riding, before eventually winning his first major title in 2007. In 2008, after failing to qualify to represent the US team in BMX cycling at the Beijing Olympics, the three-time ABA #1 Pro Cruiser champion decided to pursue a degree in nursing at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. There, he became the captain of the school cycling team that won the first US Cycling BMX National Championships held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center earlier this year.
In an interview with his college athletics website, the world no. 84 shared that his decision to represent the Philippines came about due to several reasons, including missing the cut for the American team and losing his BMX sponsorship in the US.
Having two Filipino parents, Caluag opted to process his dual citizenship so he can try to qualify for the Philippines.
"The US has so many great athletes and there are only three slots in BMX. Some countries have three slots to qualify and only have one good athlete. Knowing that, I thought I could race for the Philippines and maybe be in contention for a medal," said Caluag.
The newest event to be added to the Olympic program, BMX traces its roots from motocross racing in the United States. BMX, being the pedaled version of its motorized predecessor, also contains bumpy dirt rides. The usual 450-meter track is finished within 40 seconds, with riders attempting to finish with the best time as seven other bikers race alongside them.
Caluag is expected to ride first on Wednesday at 1040pm (Manila time). In the seeding round, Caluag will only get to go around the track once to determine his place coming into the quarterfinals on Thursday at 10pm (Manila time). - AMD, GMA News
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