Zedrick Honorica made headlines when he set a new national record in the 200m sprint during the Asian Cycling Confederation Track and Para Track Cycling championships at the Tagaytay CT Velodrome.

The 21-year-old set a time of 10.865 seconds, which is almost a second faster than the previous record of 11.424 seconds by Jan Paul Morales at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

What’s most striking is that Honorica broke the record with his personal bike that he saved up for as a Foodpanda delivery rider. The Brain Medulla frame is said to be worth P2,500, while the wheelset costs P12,000.

If you’re someone who earns a living from delivering food, that is worth a lot. But that’s chump change in the world of professional cycling where athletes get sponsored equipment worth millions of pesos.

According to Honorica, his training consisted of informal bente-bente races and nothing more. He saw a Facebook post by coach Virgilio Espiritu, and joined the tryout as a walk-in last January, where he was second-best.

Some commenters online have said Honorica shows that it’s about the athlete’s strength, and the equipment doesn’t matter. However, he ranked 21st out of the 22 riders. The event was won by Japan’s Kaiya Ota who set a time of 9.348 seconds.

Honorica’s record is good news since it shows Filipino sports cyclists have potential. But if we want our national athletes to be competitive globally, then they need all the support from government and sponsors. Just think how much better they could perform with the right equipment and opportunities.