Lee bags bronze for PH’s first medal in 2026 ACC para track tilt

Bulacan native Patrick Gerard Lee won the Philippines' first medal in the 2026 ACC Para Track Cycling Championship. (Photo: PhilCycling)

Patrick Gerard Lee delivered the host country’s first medal in the 2026 Asian Cycling Confederation Track and Para Track Cycling Championships at the Tagaytay City Velodrome in Tagaytay, Cavite on Sunday, March 29.

The 21-year-old para cyclist captured bronze in the men’s C5 scratch race— a mass-start event where the first rider to cross the finish line wins, according to the sport’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale.

“I pushed and pushed myself. It’s a very tough race,” Lee said, as reported by Inquirer Sports. “I’m really very happy because it’s for our country.”

The podium finish earned Lee valuable qualification points toward the 2028 Summer Paralympics.

Fellow Filipino Joel Inn Tacutaco placed fifth in the 14-rider field.

Lee is set to see action again on the final day of the championships on Wednesday, April 1.

Uzbekistan's Azimbek Abdullaev took the gold medal, while Japan's Ruito Kameda snagged silver after edging Lee in a photo finish — a high-speed imaging method used to determine placings in close races.

An amputee, Lee lost his right forearm below the elbow at age five in a meat grinder accident at Marilao Market in Bulacan.

Despite the setback, he rose to become a national team member and previously claimed silver in the men’s C3-C5 road race at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand.