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Thailands Chatchai-Decha one win away from boxing medal at Tokyo Olympics.

Thai veteran Chatchai-Decha Butdee became the first Thai boxer to reserve a quarter-final berth in the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 on Wednesday, after ousting young-gun Mirco Jehiel Cuello of Argentina 4-1 in the second round of the 57kg competition at the Kokugikan Arena.

Thailands Chatchai-Decha one win away from boxing medal at Tokyo Olympics.

In his third and farewell Games, the 36-year-old unleashed a barrage of quick and powerful punches to beat the 20-year-old former Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist, who suffered a cut over his right eyebrow.

“I came up with a game plan and stuck to it. I was very happy with the way I performed in this round,” said the 2013 World Championships bronze medalist, who was also sporting a cut on his right eyebrow.

Awaiting him in the last eight is three-time World Championships winner and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba. Alvarez won his bout through RSC-Injury after his opponent Daniyal Shahbakhsh suffered a serious wound on his face.

The Thai fighter needs to win the match to secure a bronze medal and finally realise his dream of standing on an Olympic podium.

“If I win, I will get a bronze. I will give my all in that bout,” he said.

Two more Thai fighters will be in action on Thursday. Jutamas Jitpong will take on Irish Magno of the Philippines in the women’s 51kg and Supaporn Seesondee will face Simranjit Kaur Baath of India in the women’s 60kg.

Thailands Chatchai-Decha one win away from boxing medal at Tokyo Olympics.

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Thailands Chatchai-Decha one win away from boxing medal at Tokyo Olympics.

In shooting, national flag bearer Savate Sresthaporn shot 74 points to land second behind Abdulrahman Al Faihan of Kuwait after three qualifying rounds of the men’s trap competition at the Asaka Shooting-Shotgun Ranges on Wednesday.

The 58-year-old marksman, the oldest Thai athlete in the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020, shot 74 points to match the Kuwaiti as well as Italian Mauro de Filippis, Czech Jiri Liptak and Gian Marco Berti of San Marino. But Faihan, gold medalist in the World Championships trap team event in 2007 and 2018, had a better countback score of 58 versus the Thai’s 52.

Savate, the 2019 World Cup silver medalist in Al Ain, UAE, has two more rounds (50 points) in qualification on Thursday in his bid to win a place in the top six shooters for the final. On Monday, women’s skeet shooter Isarapa Imprasertsuk narrowly failed to secure Thailand first Olympic medal in skeet when she finished fourth.

Thailands Chatchai-Decha one win away from boxing medal at Tokyo Olympics.

Published : July 28, 2021

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Ratchanok claws into last 16 but Thailands super duo eliminated in Tokyo.

The Thai badminton team had mixed luck at the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 on Wednesday as Ratchanok Intanon won through to the knock-out stage but mixed doubles hope Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai crashed out of the quarter-finals in disappointing fashion.

Ratchanok claws into last 16 but Thailands super duo eliminated in Tokyo.

World No 6 Ratchanok was put to the test by Soniia Cheah Su Ya of Malaysia in their last Group N match before the Thai gritted her teeth to claw back from 19-21 and 16-17 down to win the following games 21-18 21-10 for a spot in the last 16.

However, the journey of medal prospects and world No 2 Dechapol and Sapsiree came to a premature end. After benefiting from a flurry of unforced errors from current All England champions Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan to take the opening game 21-15, the Thai pair lost their nerve and let their A game desert them to drop the next two games 16-21 14-21 after 67 minutes of battle.

Ratchanok is back in her third successive round of 16 in the Olympics. But she had to shrug off the pressure and dig deep to move past the 35th-ranked Malaysian, whom she had beaten four times in the past.

“I am always in a bit of a challenge to myself when I play in big tournaments. I need to play my best, and I feel pressure too all the time. I had to control myself in every point. I feel happy about winning the match,” said the 2012 Olympic quarter-finalist.

On Thursday, both Ratchanok and her compatriot Busanan Ongbamrungphan will test their mettle against tougher opponents in the last 16. The Thai ace has lined up a clash against world No 23 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia, who she will meet for the eighth time after dominating their previous matches with a 7-0 record. Busanan, on the other hand, has an uphill task against world No 8 An Se-young of South Korea, a player who she failed to take a set from in their two previous encounters.

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Ratchanok claws into last 16 but Thailands super duo eliminated in Tokyo.

Dechapol and Sapsiree, meanwhile, were downhearted after their loss. They kicked off the season exceptionally with a hat-trick of wins in three World Tour Super 1000 titles in January and came to Tokyo with high hopes of producing a medal for Thailand. That dream was shattered to pieces against old foes in the quarter-finals.

 “We started well but they broke our momentum,” said Sapsiree, who along with her partner lost to the Japanese duo 18-21 18-21 in the 2019 Malaysian Masters final. “We haven’t played them in two years and since then they have improved an amazing amount. It’s a shame we didn’t move on but we will try to come back in the next Olympics.”

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Dechapol said: “We made way so many mistakes and were on the defence too much. We will return home to improve our game and hope to return stronger next time.”

So far, Thailand’s best performance in Olympic badminton was a semi-final and fourth-place finish by men’s singles player Boonsak Polsana at the 2004 Games in Athens.

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Ratchanok claws into last 16 but Thailands super duo eliminated in Tokyo.

Published : July 28, 2021

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Philippines 1st-ever Olympic gold medalist Diaz realizes dream with Chinese coach

Four-time Olympian Hidilyn Diaz secured Philippines first-ever gold medal. Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippine weightlifter, stayed awake all night because she could not believe that she won her motherlands first-ever Olympic gold medal.

The 30-year-old, who won silver at Rio 2016, triumphed in the women’s weightlifting 55kg after smashing her personal best to see off world record holder Liao Qiuyun of China at the Tokyo International Forum on Monday evening, finally making her dream come true.

Hardly able to contain her excitement, Diaz, a four-time Olympian, attributed her gold medal performance to her team and expressed gratitude, particularly to her Chinese coach, Gao Kaiwen. She noted that Gao and her team members’ joint efforts catapulted her to victory.

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It’s been nearly a century since the Philippines won its first gold since its Olympic debut in Paris 1924.

“I’m happy for the Philippines. It’s the people behind me who made it possible. It took a lot of hard work and collaboration with the team because I couldn’t do it alone,” Diaz said.

Gao, 64, who has coached multiple Chinese Olympic medalists, became Diaz’s mentor in 2018 after retiring as a Chinese Bayi weightlifting team coach. His rich teaching experience turned out to be invaluable to Diaz, making a difference in her lifts and career.

Gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz poses with her gold medal.

Under the guidance of Gao, Diaz championed the women’s weightlifting 53kg at the 2018 Asian Games and won bronze at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships, raising the country’s hopes that she could bring home the first Olympic gold in Tokyo.

“Coach Gao is really good, and he is strict with me. He is good for athletes because not every coach can understand how an athlete thinks and moves.He is really good at teaching me the techniques. He knows the basics of weightlifting and my personality quite well. It is different when you learn new things with him,” said Diaz.

However success never comes easily as difficulties and challenges abounded over the past two years.

In early 2020, Gao and Diaz went to Malaysia to train and to stay away from distractions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures forced them to remain in the country for training before going to Tokyo for the Olympics.

“We moved from Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, to several other places and finally settled down in Malacca, in which we got a fixed training venue and built a gym by ourselves in the backyard. Actually, I was in charge of every meal of Diaz in Malaysia, so I’m both her coach and chef,” recalled Gao.

In Gao’s eyes, Diaz, a Philippine Air Force servicewoman, remained optimistic under pressure and displayed great tenacity throughout the training and contest.

“It is not an easy job for a girl coming from a poor family of Zamboanga City, the Philippines, to keep up intense training at the age of 30,” said Gao.

Gao has mixed feelings about Diaz’s gold-medal-winning ways, as he is happy for the Philippine first-ever Olympic gold medalist, but “it was a great pity to watch the athlete from my country take a silver,” he said.

However, just as the new Olympic motto reads: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together,” Diaz and Gao become stronger when standing together.

After winning the gold medal, Diaz wants to inspire the youth. She offered words of encouragement to the younger generations in the Philippines.

“Please dream high. That’s how I started. I dreamed high, and finally, I was able to do it.”

Hidilyn Diaz embraces her coach after winning.

Published : July 28, 2021

By : xinhua

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Sudaporn dominates 1st opponent to join 2 other Thai boxers in medal quest.

2018 World Championships silver medalist Sudaporn Seesondee emulated her three compatriots at the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 on Tuesday, clearing her first hurdle in style in the womens boxing 60kg at the Kokugikan Arena.

Sudaporn dominates 1st opponent to join 2 other Thai boxers in medal quest.

The 29-year-old from Udon Thani outclassed her opponent Maria Jose Palacios Espinoza of Ecuador 5-0 to become the fourth Thai boxer in round two of the Tokyo Games. Sudaporn followed in the footsteps of Baison Manikon, Chatchai-Decha Butdee and Jutamas Jitpong, who all won their opening bouts earlier.

The 2018 Asian Games silver medalist Sudaporn was the more impressive fighter throughout the three-round bout, utilizing her powerful straight left and rapid footwork to keep her South American rival off balance and out of the comfort zone.

“The first match is never easy. I experienced a bit of pressure coming into the ring and felt nervous in the first round. But in the second and third rounds, I became more relaxed and was able to perform the way I wanted to,” she said.

Sudaporn’s next opponent is Simranjit Kaur of India, the bronze medalist at the 2018 World Championships. The 26-year-old from Punjab, also a silver medalist in the 2019 Asian Championships, received a bye in the first round.

“I have never boxed her before, but I’ve watched her fight. She has long punches. I will need to study her style before our match,” said the Thai, who has three days to prepare before she faces the Indian boxer on Friday.

However, the Thai boxing team suffered their first blow in the Japanese capital late on Tuesday, when 2019 Asian Youth champion Baison was eliminated in the second round of the women’s 69kg category by No 2 seed Gu Hong of China, the 2014 and 2018 World Championships silver medalist.

The 19-year-old Thai was no match for her more experienced opponent, who dominated the bout with accurate punches from start to finish to win 5-0.

In table tennis, Thai No 1 Suthasinee Sawettabut, who yesterday became the first Thai to reach the round of 16 in the Olympics, was stopped by third-seeded Mima Ito of Japan, a silver medalist from the 2016 and 2019 World Championships team event, 0-4 (7-11 6-11 9-11 7-11).

Sudaporn dominates 1st opponent to join 2 other Thai boxers in medal quest.

Published : July 28, 2021

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Busanan tops group, faces world No 8 in quest for Olympic badminton glory.

World No 13 Busanan Ongbamrungphan lived up to expectations in her final Group D match with a 21-16 21-12 win over Estonias Kristin Kuuba in the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 badminton singles at the Musahino Forest Plaza on Tuesday.

Busanan tops group, faces world No 8 in quest for Olympic badminton glory.

The 2015 SEA Games singles gold medalist relied on her superior all-court game to deal with the challenge from the 51st ranked Estonian, winning the match in 44 minutes to remain unbeaten in the group action.

“I’m very happy. I know Kuuba is very strong from the back of the court and, with her deception, at the front too. But I focused on playing one point at a time and making her run. I tried up my game for this match,” said the Thai No 2.

Busanan’s reward for winning the group is a daunting encounter in the last 16 knock-out round against the up-and-coming An Se-young of South Korea, ranked eighth in the world. An toppled Ajoke Adesokan Dorcas of Nigeria 21-13 21-6 to finish top of Group C. The 19-year-old South Korean, a five-time BWF World Tour winner, has won both her previous clashes with Busanan in straight games.

“She’s a very strong player too. Her movement is good. I need to be ready,” said the Thai.

Meanwhile, in Group D of the women’s doubles, Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai ended their Olympic campaign in Tokyo winless with a defeat to Garbiela and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria 11-21 21-16 17-21.

Four Thais will be in action on Wednesday. In her final Group N match, world No 6 Ratchanok Intanon takes on Soniia Cheah Su Ya of Malaysia. The 2012 Olympic quarter-finalist must win the match to keep her hopes in Tokyo alive.

In men’s singles Group K action, Thai No 1 Kantaphon Wangcharoen needs to beat Toby Penty of Great Britain to emerge as the group winner and reach the last 16.

However, a Herculean task awaits the mixed doubles pairing of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, as they confront 2019 World Championship bronze medalists Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan in the quarter-finals. In their previous encounter at the 2019 Malaysian Masters final, it was the Japanese duo who prevailed 21-18 21-18.

Busanan tops group, faces world No 8 in quest for Olympic badminton glory.

Published : July 28, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40003826

Panipak offers close-up view of her Olympic gold medal

Taekwondo champ Panipak “Tennis” Wongpattanakit on Monday let fans have a close look at the gold medal she won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Panipak won Thailand’s first gold at the Tokyo Olympics, defeating Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain 11-10 in the final of the taekwondo women’s 49kg class.
 

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The Thai taekwondo team will spend 14 days at Novotel Phuket City Phokeethra. After three days in quarantine, the team will help the Tourism and Sports Ministry in promoting tourism under the Phuket “sandbox” programme.

Published : July 27, 2021

By : The Nation

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Japans Osaka knocked out of Olympic womens singles tennis

Japans tennis superstar Naomi Osaka crashed out of the womens singles third round at the hands of the Czech Republics Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets at Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday.

Osaka struggled against an opponent she had never faced before on the professional circuit, and the world No. 2 player suffered a 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” Osaka said of playing on home court.

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Osaka, who lit the cauldron at the Olympics opening ceremony on July 23, said, “It’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year [it] was a bit much.”

Osaka had her serve broken in the first and third games, going 4-0 behind before pocketing her only game of the set. But Vondrousova broke the Japanese’s serve again en route to a 6-1 first-set win.

Osaka started the second set in stronger fashion, breaking her Czech opponent once, but the 42nd-ranked Vondrousova fought back and took the second set and the match after breaking Osaka’s serve in the final game.

Osaka said everything had gone wrong in her defeat. “If you watch the match then you would probably see. I feel like there’s a lot of things that I counted on that I couldn’t rely on today.”

Said Vondrousova, “Of course it’s one of the biggest wins of my career.” The Czech player now heads into the tournament’s quarterfinals.

Published : July 27, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.

Unfancied Isarapa Imprasertsuk staged an impressive performance at the Asaka Shooting-Shotgun Ranges with a surprise fourth-place finish in womens skeet at the Olympic Games TOKYO 2020 on Monday.

Despite being an Olympic first-timer, the 2016 Asian Championships silver medalist shattered the odds to finish fourth in the qualifying competition and then shoot her way to fourth behind world No 2 Wei Meng of China (bronze), defending champion Diana Bacosi of Italy (silver) and 2018 World Championship winner Amber English of the US, who won the gold.

Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.

Isarapa, ranked a lowly 32nd in the world, earned a tilt at a medal after eliminating Natalia Vinogradova of the Russian Olympic Committee in the first shoot of the final and then Germany’s Nadine Messerschmidt in the second.

In the third shoot, the Thai tied with Wei on 36 points. Results from the qualifying round were then taken into account and it was the Chinese shooter’s remarkable 124 points to the Thai’s 120 that propelled her to the top three. Wei’s 124 points also marked an Olympic record and equalled her own world record, achieved at the 2019 Asian Shooting Championships in Doha.

English shot a final round of 56, also an Olympic record, to win the gold, followed by Bacosi (55) and Wei (46).

Isarapa’s fourth place was the best performance by a Thai skeet shooter, beating Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit’s fifth at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Thai No 1 Sutiya who had a health problem did not make it to the final in Tokyo after being placed 11th with 118 points in the qualification round.

Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.

Said Isarapa: “I was under no pressure at all as other the shooters are all at world-class level while I’m just an underdog. Finishing fourth is beyond my expectation.”

Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.

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In badminton, world No 2 mixed doubles Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai were handed their first defeat in Tokyo  with a shock 12-21 19-21 result against Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith of Great Britain in their last Group B match on Monday.

The Thai duo, who won three straight tournaments on home soil in January, were nowhere near their best against the inspired Britons who came up with intense attacks and solid defence. Despite their first defeat, Dechapol and Sapsiree move on to the knock-out stage as group runners-up.

Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.”It makes a big difference going forward,” said Smith of the British pair’s win. “We knew after yesterday that this was a freebie game and that took the pressure off, it was ours to take and theirs to lose and I kept reminding myself of that,” she added.

Isarapa upsets odds at shooting range as Thai shuttlers qualify at Olympics.

In table tennis, Suthasini Sawettabut became the first Thai to reach the round of 16 after she upended 15th-seeded Samara of Romania 4-1 (11-7 11-6 4-11 11-8 11-2) at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Compatriot Orawan Paranang wasn’t so lucky after being stopped in the third round by Japanese fifth-seed Kasumi Ishikawa 2-4 (5-11 11-5 4-11 11-6 4-11 8-11).

Published : July 27, 2021

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Golden taekwondo coach Choi soon to be a Thai

Choi Young Seok, the South Korean coach of Thailand’s taekwondo team, will be offered Thai citizenship soon, according to Taekwondo Association of Thailand president Pimol Srivikorn.

Choi helped bring glory to the Kingdom on Saturday when Panipak Wongpattanakit became the first Thai taekwondo exponent to win an Olympic gold medal.

Back in February, Choi spoke of his wish to renounce South Korean citizenship and become a Thai.

“I have been living in Thailand for more than two decades. My wife and son have moved to Thailand and we want to make our life here,” he said.

Pimol revealed that Choi’s dream is about to come true, as his application to apply for Thai citizenship was completed just before Tokyo Olympics.

“We originally planned to submit documents three months before the Olympics,” said Pimol, revealing Choi’s application had been stalled by the Covid-19 crisis and a delay getting documents delivered from South Korea.

Now, after self-isolating in Phuket, Choi will return to Bangkok to submit documents to the Royal Thai Police.

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Pimol confirmed that Choi wants to be a Thai citizen, but said the final decision would be up to the government.

“It takes about 7-8 years [on average] to apply for Thai nationality. Some get it quickly but some do not, so it depends on government agencies,” he said.

He said the association had not signed any contract with Choi, adding that the South Korean had pledged his services to Thai taekwondo.

“I admit that many countries have contacted Choi and offered a higher salary than us,” he said.

“However, he wants to stay and develop Thai taekwondo athletes because he loves Thailand, Thai people and he wants to be Thai.”

Published : July 26, 2021

By : The Nation

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Gold medal for ‘all Thai people’ says taekwondo queen Panipak

Panipak “Tennis” Wongpattanakit on Monday said her Olympic taekwondo gold medal was for all Thai people.

The taekwondo exponent was speaking after being tested for Covid-19 in Phuket, where she will spend the next 14 days in quarantine after returning from Tokyo.

After the Thai taekwondo team touched down at Phuket International Airport, Panipak knelt in front of her waiting father, Sirichai, and presented him with the gold medal she won on Saturday. In an emotional scene, Sirichai then placed the gold medal back around his daughter’s neck.

“I am very happy to see so many people here to give us a warm welcome back to Thailand,” Panipak said.

Asked about what she planned to do next, she was quick to reply:

“What I want to do first is eat seafood, which is a signature of this province.”

Laughing with reporters, she added cookies and cakes to her must-have menu – a reward for months of strict dieting in preparation for her Olympic campaign.

Meanwhile the 23-year-old’s hunger for more medals has not been satisfied by winning Thailand’s first Olympic taekwondo gold.

“If I am still healthy, I would like to participate in the next Olympics in France,” she said.

She also thanked all Thai people for their support, especially those in her home region of the South – she was born in Surat Thani.

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Meanwhile, Choi Young Seok, the much-respected South Korean coach of Thailand’s taekwondo team, said Panipak’s victory belonged to everyone in the country.

“I am very happy. I have been living in Thailand for 20 years. I always do my best when I lead the team in every competition and I would like to thank everyone for this achievement,” he said.

As reward for the Olympic triumph, Choi is expected to receive his longed-for Thai citizenship.

He said he would continue his duties after being granted Thai nationality, adding that he wants to be Thai as soon as possible.

Gold medal for ‘all Thai people’ says taekwondo queen Panipak

Members of the Thai taekwondo team will spend 14 days at the Novotel Phuket City Phokeethra. After three days in quarantine, the team will help the Tourism and Sports Ministry in promoting the Phuket Sandbox programme.

Gold medal for ‘all Thai people’ says taekwondo queen Panipak

Panipak has won Thailand’s first gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by defeating Spain’s Adriana Cerezo Iglesias 11-10 in the final of the taekwondo women’s 49kg class.

She has already been showered with rewards totalling 19 million baht – 12 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund and 7 million from private agencies.

Gold medal for ‘all Thai people’ says taekwondo queen Panipak

Published : July 26, 2021

By : The Nation