MANILA -- Promising cyclist Rex Luis Krog was feted by his team Go For Gold and PhilCycling for bagging a silver medal at the Asian Cycling Championships juniors in Myanmar.

The 17-year-old finished second behind a Japanese and ahead of a Thai rider in last Saturday’s 103-km road race that drew 48 of the best youngsters in Asia at the Myanmar capital of Nay Pyi Taw.

Krog was presented by his team Go For Gold on Thursday but the Nueva Ecija native was simply too shy to bask in his accomplishment.

“Katulad po ng sinasabi nila, marami pa akong kakaining bigas. Pero okay lang naman po ‘yun kasi alam ko naman po kailangan ko pa rin mag-improve overall,” Krog said.

The medal was a rarity for Philippine cycling on the Asian stage. Rustom Lim clinched a bronze medal also in juniors competition back in 2011.

Jeremy Go, vice president for marketing of Powerball Marketing and Logistics Corp., the company behind the Go for Gold project, and his coach, Ednalyn Calitis Hualda, were all praises for Krog.

Hualda revealed that Krog, the son of former national team members Marita Lucas and the late Edward Krog, is already being groomed to join this year’s UCI Road World Cycling Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, from September 22 to 30 pending the green light from PhilCycling.

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Go added that overseas training and exposure awaits Krog, who at 5-foot-10 looks genetically perfect for both road and track events of cycling.

“Natural climber siya pero sa pagpalit ng gear, lumalabas rin ang skills niya sa sprint. ‘Pag matangkad ka rin, advantage na ‘yun sa track,” Go said.

PhilCycling president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said Krog’s future looks bright especially with his attitude on training and competition.

“Given the proper training and program, Luis will be a star,” Tolentino said.

Go said they will make sure that the young rider will be at his best form.

“With the kind support given by PhilCycling and UCI, we’re looking for a specialized training for him in Korea or Switzerland,” he said.

Currently a senior high school student at the Lorraine Technical School of Caloocan City in Monumento, Krog, whose grandfather is German, has all the makings of becoming a future world champion, according to Hualda.

“Motivated palagi si Luis at ‘yun ang pinakamaganda sa kanya. Maganda rin ang kanyang decision-making At kapag ang isang atleta naniniwala sa coach, anything is possible” she said.

Go For Gold has actively involved itself in sports and supports SEA Games champions Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano in triathlon and also has a basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League.

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