Pinoy rider Gart Gaerlan grabs silver medal in the Cross Country Eliminator category at the 2024 Asian Mountain Bike Championships in Putrajaya, Malaysia on May 12.
In a nail-biting finals showdown during the last day of the competition, the national U23 MTB Champion Gaerlan manages to climb from 5th spot to the second sport securing the silver finish for the Philippines. Gaerlan tried to keep up with the Malaysian rider Zulfikri Zulkifri, who secured the gold medal in the men’s elite category preventing a 1-2 finish for the Malaysians as the other rider from the host country settled for bronze.
Prior to the tournament in Malaysia, Gaerlan mentioned that the team wanted to make up for the 1st silver finish of the Philippines in the last Asian Cycling Championships in Kerala, India last year.
During the 2023 edition of the most prestigious Asian MTB event, only Go for Gold star John Andre Aguja won a medal who faced a tough setback, exiting early from the XCE race due to a minor accident this year.
Overall, Gaerlan’s silver medal podium finish stands as the crowning achievement of the Philippine team’s campaign, aside from the bronze medal of the 17 years old Aguja in the Men’s Junior Cross Country category.
