Road to London 2012!
Anat Ratanapol
Did you know- At the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran (Iran), the country's idol Anat Ratanapol won two Asian gold medals (100m & 200m). At the previous Games in 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand, he had won two medals (gold and silver).
Australia 2000
Did you know- Thailand's weightlifter Khassaraporn Suta won the bronze medal in the women's 58-kilogram category at the 2000 Summer Games in the Australian city of Sydney.
Boxing
Did you know- The Kingdom of Thailand – known as Siam until 1939- is home to many famous boxers in Asia. Payao Pooltarat won the bronze medal, together with Orlando Maldonado (Puerto Rico), in the 48kg category in the Olympic Boxing Tournament in the Canadian city of Montreal in July 1976. Twenty years later, by 1996, the nation's boxer Somluck Kamsing earned a gold medal in the Olympics in the United States. Later on, by 2000, Wijan Ponlid became Olympic champ in the Games of the 27th Olympiad in Oceania, at the expense of Bulat Jumadilov (Kazakhstan), Jerome Thomas (France), and Vladimir Sidorenko (Ukraine). Meanwhile, Porchnchai Thongburan won the bronze medal. In 2004, Manus Boonjumnong made national history when he earned a gold medal in the Olympic Boxing Tournament in Athens, Greece. At the Asian Games in Doha (Qatar) in 2006, Boonjumnong won the continental title.
National Idol
Did you know- Weightlifter Udomporn Polsak became the first Thai woman to win an individual Olympic gold when she earned the Olympic title in the featherweight 53 kg class in 2004. Because of her example, dedication and contribution to the sports history of the Kingdom of Thailand , she is an idol in Bangkok, the nation's capital.
Spain 1992
Did you know- Thailand's Olympic Committee had sent a team of thirty athletes to the Summer Olympics in the Spanish city of Barcelona in 1992. They competed in aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, judo, sailing, shooting, tennis, and weightlifting. In the previous Olympics in 1988, the Asian nation sent 20 athletes to South Korea.
Sports
Did you know- The country's most popular sports are basketball, boxing (including "Thai boxing"), soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and weightlifting.
Soccer
Did you know- In March 1981, Bangkok hosted the XXII Under-20 Asian Tournament. This event was won by South Korea, followed by Qatar (runner-up), Japan (third), Thailand (fourth), and Bangladesh (fifth).
World Record
Did you know- The nation's weightlifter Pawina Thongsuk broke the world record in the 63kg competition at the 2005 World Championships in Doha, the capital city of Qatar. A year ago, she had won a gold medal at the 28th Olympiad in Greece.
