VETERAN Jan Paul Morales clinched a silver medal in the men’s scratch race of the 2015 Asian Cycling Championships at the Nakhon Ratchasima track in Thailand on Friday to earn points for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
Morales, 29, finished second behind Iran’s Benham Khalili Khos Roshani in the 15-km event, where 12 of the continent’s best riders competed.
The pride of Marikina City ended a 14-year medal drought in the Asian championships.
The last time the Philippines clinched medals in the annual race was in 2001 in Kaoshiung, where Paulo Manapul and Arnel Quirimit bagged silver medals in the scratch and road events, respectively.
A scratch race is a race where riders start together with the objective of simply crossing the finish line first. The distance is 15 kms for the men and 10 kms for the women. It is also called the devil’s or elimination race and it is considered as one of the most exciting events in track cycling.
Morales will also compete in the points’ race, along with Alfie Catalan and Arnel de Jesus on Friday evening.