CEBUANA mountainbike rider Shagne Yaoyao continues to pile up UCI points after bagging another silver medal at the Yawatahama International Cross Country – Asia MTB Series Leg 3 held in Ehime City, Japan.
Ranked No. 103 in the world, Yaoyao placed second in the 20-kilometer Women’s Elite race behind Japan’s Kawaguchi Urara.
Yaoyao crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 35 minutes, and 10 seconds, edging out third-placer Ishida Yui by 1 minute and 23 seconds.
Competing as the lone representative of the Philippine national team, Yaoyao’s participation was made even more significant by the absence of her teammates, who were unable to secure their Japan visas in time.
Her second-place finish in this UCI Class 1 event is expected to further boost her world ranking.
This latest result builds on Yaoyao’s momentum from earlier this year.
In January, she captured silver in the Women’s Elite category of the UCI Thailand MTB XCO Cup in Kanchanaburi, a performance that earned her 40 UCI points and propelled her into the prestigious Top 100 global rankings within a single week.
Yaoyao is now the third-highest ranked Asian female MTB rider, trailing only Bella Dewi of Indonesia (449 points) and Alina Karassyova of Kazakhstan (389 points).
In the national level, the Philippines has also improved its standing, currently ranked 29th in the UCI MTB Nation Rankings with 815 points—the second-highest Asian nation, just behind Kazakhstan, which holds 888 points.
The Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) plans to send Yaoyao and other elite Filipino riders to the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais, Switzerland, set to take place from August 30 to September 14.
