Fil-Am rider tries to finish among top 8

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ realistic hope for a medal on the Olympic stage rests on a 5-6, 170-pound Fil-American who will showcase before the world Wednesday his skills, daredevil instincts and will to win for the land of his ancestors on a 450-meter track designed to separate the men from mama’s boys.

Danny Caluag already had a feel of the track, with its eight-meter descent from a starting gate, complete with dirt, humps and S-bends, and he liked what he saw after suffering bruises on his arms, chest and shoulders on his first workout.

He had also worked out with top-class world riders, many of whom he had pitted his skills against, and others he knew little about in the most dangerous event of cycling.

Several of the riders here have seen action in Beijing the first time the event was held four years ago. The field includes Maris Strombergs of Latvia, who won the inaugural event, and Connor Fieldes, a multi-titled American now ranked second to absentee Sam Willoughby of Australia.

‘’They are all there, also enjoying the training. We always see each other in training and competing against each other,’’ said Caluag. 

 The 32-man field will be divided into four groups of eight in the quarterfinal. The top 16 from the quarterfinal advance to the semifinal.

The top eight step into the final where only one race will be held to determine the gold-silver-bronze medalists.

The final run will take only 37 to 39 seconds, a go-for-broke, devil-may-care race among the world’s toughest eight for cycling’s biggest trophy.

To reach the finals, Caluag, 25, needs to finish among the top eight to be able to get top seeding that will give him the advantage of playing lesser-ranked players in the 32-man quarterfinal heats the next day.

Better, it gives him the chance to pick a preferred starting gate, considered the comfort zone that helps the rider get a better starting maneuver from eight meters high. In swimming, the top two swimmers from the heats take the middle lanes in the finals, with the last six occupying the outer lanes, which in the past gave tankers the disadvantage of swimming against a surge of waves from the middle lane.

 A rider consistently at the top has the first option at the same gate of his choice in the next phase, from the quarterfinal to the final. The gate selection order in subsequent runs in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final is determined by the points scored from the previous run.

The seeding system has been designed to distribute the top riders so that the fastest riders don’t meet before the final.

Riding too fast, however, is a calculated risk since a fall will greatly diminish the chances of advancing to the next round.

Although a rider can still compete, he is relegated to last place with a score of 10. The highest mark is 1, second is 2, third 3, and so on to the eighth placer. A score of plus 2 is added to the score of the last placer

A rider who starts but does not finish gets an 8 or a score equal to the number or riders, but he remains eligible to compete in the remaining heats.

Wednesday’s seeding phase will be a one-race affair. In the quarterfinal Thursday, the 32 riders will be seeded into four groups. The top two riders from each heat after three runs advance to the semifinal. The other eight slots will be contested by the remaining 24 contenders in the last two runs.

The last 16 or semifinal on Friday will be divided into two groups. The top four from each group after three runs ride to the finals.

On a $20 million track built at the heart of a 253-hectare wasteland now known as the Olympic Park, familiarity with the terrain will not be a factor anymore since the course is short and the 32 competitors have been given the chance to try it at least twice before Wednesday’s classification race.

All things equal, the rider who has the skills and the heart to win could go all the way up to the finals where the real showdown begins.

‘’I want to succeed. I want this whole thing to be a success,’’ said Caluag, after he, mechanic Stephanie Barrigan and coach Jason Richardson watched a tape of his 90-minute workout.

Left with the tough task of redeeming the day for the embattled Phl team, Caluag knows what the competition means to the Filipino people back home and what it takes to do it. He knows he must tame the course, conquer fear and beat the opposition.

All he has to do now is go out there and win.

‘’Danny’s ready for this one,’’ said Richardson, his eyes glued to the television set, watching every movement and telling every spot where his ward is doing bad and where he’s doing okay.

‘’It’s an honor to be given that privilege (ending the country’s medal drought),’’ he said after boxer Mark Barriga fell in the round of 16.”It’s hard, but I will try. You see, anything can happen in my sport.”

This is the first time Caluag is representing the Philippines. He was tapped for the last SEA Games in Indonesia, but was barred from competing by organizers at the last minute for being a dual citizen.

In the Athletes Village, Caluag took a breather, watching a footage of his workout. His coach noted some bad moves, like when Caluag awkwardly started off in one of the laps on board his Speedco bike, missing to get the lead as he and other Olympic bets ‘’whom I raced against a countless times before’’ drove down an eight-meter high ramp and into a up-and-down strip.

He has sized up the opposition. He’s ready for action.

End its.