Thai athletes and sportspersons have been doing tremendously well as individuals at international sporting events. They are becoming some of the sports personalities to witness worldwide popularity.
Thais are not particularly good at team sports, according to some Thai coaches as well as to western coaches who have worked with Thai athletes and sportspersons. Overall Thai athletes perform better when playing solo sports. So, watch out for six legendary Thai athletes and sportspersons who have made their country proud.
Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon
Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon is a weightlifter from Thailand. At the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships, she won the silver medal in the 53 kg category, lifting a total weight of 223 kg (491.6 lbs). At the 2006 University World Championships, she won the gold medal in the 53 kg category. Prapawadee also won the women's 53 kg class at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.
Ariya Jutanugarn
Ariya is not just one of Thailand’s best athletes but also a contender for the top female athlete in the world. The top-ranked golf star in 2018 won three tournaments, including the US Women's Open for her second major crown. Ariya also became the first player to sweep all LPGA major awards in 2018.
Sopita Tanasan
Sopita Tanasan is a weightlifter and the 2nd most famous Thai Athlete. Her biography has been translated into twenty-two different languages. She competed at the 2013 World Championships in the Women's 53 kg, winning the bronze medal. In the 2016 Olympics, she competed in the 48 kg weight class and won gold.
Atthaya Thitikul
The Ratchaburi-born teenager is arguably the best female amateur golfer in the world at the moment. Thitikul won the inaugural Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific in Singapore in 2018. With this remarkable win, she earned berths at the ANA Inspiration and the British Women's Open and took the low amateur honors at the two major championships.
Jai Angsuthasawit
The 23-year-old Australian-Thai created history by becoming the Kingdom's first-ever Asian Games gold medallist in track cycling after powering his way to the front in a photo-finish in the keirin event. While not many Thais knew him before the Asian Games, Jai is no stranger to winning on the big stage as he previously competed in track cycling for Australia, including at the 2013 World Championships in Glasgow where he had won gold in the junior team sprint.
Chanatip Sonkham
Chanatip Sonkham is a taekwondo practitioner who was the bronze medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the under 49 kg weight class. Sonkham also won bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games and at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in 2010 and 2012. She also bagged the gold medal at the 2013 World Championship.
It is also noteworthy that forty-one Thai athletes are representing the nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this year.
