Patrick Coo: Cycling his way to the Olympics
Patrick Coo's course of action took a turn for the better.
The 19-year old Filipino BMX racer originally planned to vie an Olympic slot in the 2024 Paris Games. However, as PhilCycling racing coach Ednalyn Hualda expressed in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas 2, the opportunity for Patrick Coo to represent the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics presented itself and it’s only right to seize the occasion.
This came after London 2012 Olympian and 2014 Incheon Asian Games gold medalist Daniel Caluag failed to prepare for the quadrennial meet as he is currently working as a frontline nurse in Kentucky. Patrick Coo then became PhilCycling’s trump card for an Olympic berth.
At present, Coo is already in Columbia, in contention to win at the UCI BMX World Cup and secure a spot in the Tokyo Olympics to represent the Philippines. He was accompanied by coaches Ednalyn Hualda and Frederick Farr and has been training tremendously as he has never competed in a qualifying tournament for the Olympics and is still unranked. To finish at least in fourth place will secure him a spot in the Olympics and become the youngest Olympian in the Philippine delegation.
Nevertheless, experts in the field see great potential in Coo. It seems that being unranked and a first-time contender, qualifying for the Olympics is not much of an impediment anymore. As Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino stated, hopes for Coo to qualify in the Olympics is not only based on his potential to become a champion but also because of his passion and motivation to reach the top in representing the Philippines.
Coo recognizes the extreme competition but remains motivated and optimistic to reach the Olympic dreams not only for himself but also for his country. Driven by one of his biggest inspirations — Daniel Calaug — Philippines’ lone BMX olympian representative in the 2012 London Olympics, Coo expressed that after watching Calaug win at the London Olympics, he was inspired to keep the fire burning, put the Philippines on the world stage and bring honor to the country.