Thai Athletes Shine at Paris 2024 Olympics
- ByOlivia Garcia --
- 2024-08-04 14:09:43 --
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- THA
Sprinter 'Biew' Advances to 100m Semi-Finals, Two Thai Boxers Reach Quarter-Finals
The 2024 Paris Olympics entered its eighth day on Saturday, August 3rd, with 27 gold medals up for grabs across various sports. Thai fans eagerly watched as 'Biew' Phuripol Bunsorn, a young sprinting sensation, competed in the men's 100m preliminary round, while two Thai female boxers advanced to the quarter-finals, putting them on the cusp of securing a bronze medal.
Phuripol, affectionately known as 'Biew', finished third in his heat and qualified for the men's 100m semi-finals. The 18-year-old expressed that he was not entirely satisfied with his start but is determined to make adjustments ahead of the semi-final on Sunday, August 4th at 1:05 AM Thai time. If he advances further, the final will take place at 2:50 AM.
In addition to Phuripol's exploits, two Thai female boxers have also made their mark at the Games. In the flyweight (50kg) division, Juthamas Raksatye, a 31-year-old from Nang Rong, Buriram, will face Wu Yu, the reigning world champion from China. This is a rematch of the 2022 Asian Games final, where Juthamas lost 0-5 and claimed the silver medal.
In the welterweight (66kg) division, Janchom Suwanpeng, a 23-year-old from Nong Khai and the 2023 World Championships silver medalist, will take on Busenaz Surmeneli, a 26-year-old from Turkey who is the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020 and a two-time world champion in 2019 and 2022.
Pol.Col. Wicharn Pholrit, a former Olympic gold medalist and the current head coach of the Thai women's boxing team, believes that Juthamas has a chance in this bout, as she has improved significantly since her previous loss to the Chinese boxer. He also sees an opportunity for Janchom, as Surmeneli appears to have slowed down and may be struggling with her weight cut.
"In Janchom's case, she may have lost to this Turkish boxer before, but from the training camp in France, we can see that Surmeneli has slowed down quite a bit. Janchom's weight hasn't dropped much, which could give us an advantage. What we need to do is to counter her wide punches and have good footwork to avoid them."
The boxing matches will be broadcast live on T SPORT 7 from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM, MCOT HD 30 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and PPTV HD 36 from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM Thai time.
Elsewhere, cyclist 'Frame' Thanakon Chailyasombat, who has gained significant attention for his TikTok videos reviewing the athletes' village and the atmosphere at the Paris Games, will compete in the men's road race event at 4:00 PM.
Additionally, swimmer 'Mermaid Joy' Jenjira Srisa-ard will race in the women's 50m freestyle preliminary round at 4:00 PM.
The Thai contingent has high hopes for its athletes across multiple disciplines, and fans eagerly await the results as the competition continues in the French capital.