Pinay rider vying for historic Olympic berth

MANILA, Philippines – Mountain bike queen Ariana Dormitorio is bent on blazing a trail and becoming the first Pinay cyclist to make it to the Olympics.

Dormitorio, 23, said she continues to train hard amid the trying coronavirus situation with her eyes firmly set on the remaining qualifying races for the Tokyo Games.

“Ever since I've started my cycling journey, I really wanted to qualify for the 2020 Japan Olympics. During this pandemic, I didn't stop training so that I can maintain my fitness,” she told The STAR.

“I really look forward to qualifying to the Olympics and be able to represent the Philippines with my head held high.”

Dormitorio, who made history as the first Filipina Continental champ at the 2018 Asian U-23 cycling tilt, said she didn’t backpedal on her dreams when the virus disrupted everyone’s plans.

“I know that a lot of people have been suffering during this pandemic especially when it comes to their mental health. I'm lucky enough that as an athlete, I don't just do physical training but mental training as well,” she said.

“I'm able to cope properly during these tough times and I'm lucky that I'm still able to train properly,” she added.

Cycling head and Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino has tagged Dormitorio and Olympian BMX rider Danny Caluag as the country’s top bets for Tokyo.

The two should rank in the Top 3 in Asia to boost their Olympic bids.

As of the March cutoff, Dormitorio stands at No. 4 while London Games veteran Caluag runs fifth.

“I need to join UCI sanctioned mountain bike races so that I can increase my world ranking. (I’m) Hoping that there are still UCI qualifying races for me to join,” said Dormitorio.