Veteran rider Jutatip Maneephan ended her long wait for her first gold medal in the Asian Road Cycling Championships on Saturday.
The 37-year-old national cyclist won the 105.70km women's individual elite road race event from Phitsanulok to Bueng Si Fai in Phichit.
It was Jutatip's first gold medal in the Asian Championships after 18 years.
Jutatip was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 2.43.05 hours, edging her Vietnamese rival Nguyen Thi That, and Hong Kong cyclist Lee Wing Yee, who took silver and bronze medals respectively.
"I am very happy to win the gold medal today. My teammates executed our gameplan well until I won the race. I knew that Nguyen Thi That planned to attack us. But I wasn't worried about her at all and only focused on getting the gold medal and trying to stay claim during the race," said Jutatip.
"I began racing in the Asian Championships since I was 19 and now at 37 I finally made it and won my first gold medal. Thanks to the coaching staff, the cycling chief Gen Decha [Hemkrasi] and the fans for all the support. My next goal is to win the gold medal in the SEA Games in Thailand," she added.
Cycling chief Gen Decha said, "Jutatip has been training very hard for this championship. I must admit that it was such a close finish between her and Nguyen Thi That and it nearly gave me a heart attack! I was afraid that Jutatip would be too tired towards the end of the race but she managed to pull it off."
Japanese rider Maho Kakita won the women's U23 individual road race event with a time of 2.43.05 hours. Nurul Nabilah Mohd Asri of Malaysia picked up the silver medal and another Japanese cyclist Kasuga Watabe won the bronze medal.
Sunday is the last day of the championships, featuring the 171.90km men's elite road race event from Phitsanulok to Phichit. There will be a live broadcast on Thai PBS from 2pm to 4pm.