MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American rider Danny Caluag, the country’s last hope for an Olympic medal in London, bowed out of the race in the Games’ BMX semifinals on Thursday.
Caluag raced for 5 runs in the quarterfinals, but didn’t make the cut for the semifinal round.
His loss effectively ended the Philippines’ campaign in the 2012 London Olympics. The 11-man Philippine team failed to win a single medal.
During the 5-run race, the competitors were awarded points according to their places for each run. Those with the lowest points advanced to the semis.
Caluag incurred a total of 29 points after 5 runs in heat 3.
The 25-year-old BMX cyclist, who finished second to the last in the seeding phase, started at Gate 8 in the first run.
He tumbled with 6 other riders during the run, but recovered fast and finished 5th in the group.
In the second run, Caluag started at Gate 5 which gave him a better position among his competitors. But he lagged behind six riders and ended 7th.
The Filipino-American tallied a better finish in the third run, ranking 6th among the 8 riders.
But Caluag already incurred 18 points, 15 points away from Connor Fields of the US, who only incurred a total of 3 points in 3 runs.
Caluag finished all 5 runs with a total of 29 points, ranking 6th in his group during their final run.