World —
On August 5th, 2024, Thai badminton star View Kunlavut Vitidsarn claimed a silver medal after falling to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
View, ranked 8th in the world and the 2023 World Champion, faced off against the world’s number 2 and reigning Olympic champion, Viktor Axelsen. Despite a strong start with a 5-5 tie, Axelsen surged ahead to win the first game 21-11.
The second game saw Axelsen dominate again, securing an 11-3 lead and ultimately winning 21-11, clinching the gold with a 2-0 victory.
View also moves to 4th ranked in the world as a result of the match and at only 23 years old has a long career ahead of him and stated that he doesn’t plan on this being his last Olympics.
Thailand’s Women’s Table Tennis Team Advances to Quarterfinals
In the women’s team table tennis round of 16, 13th-seeded Thailand defeated host nation France, the 8th seed, in a thrilling 3-2 match.
Suthasini Sawettabut and Orawan Paranang won the doubles match against Charlotte Lutz and Prithika Pavade 3-1. Orawan then lost to Jia Nan Yuan in singles, but redeemed herself by defeating Pavade 3-0 in her next match. Suthasini fell to Jia Nan Yuan in straight sets, making it 2-2.
In the deciding match, Jinnipa Sawettabut edged out Charlotte Lutz 3-2, securing Thailand’s place in the quarterfinals against Japan.
Thai Boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng to Face Algerian Star Imane Khelif in Semifinals
In a highly anticipated semifinal bout, Janjaem Suwannapheng, the 2023 World Championship runner-up and 2022 Asian Games silver medalist from Nong Khai Province, will fight Algeria’s Imane Khelif in the women’s welterweight (66 kg) category on August 6-7 at 3:34 AM (Thai local time).
Janjaem previously lost to Khelif in the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships semifinal (0-5). However, Khelif was disqualified as her hormone test did not meet the criteria of the IBA.
The fight promises to be intense, especially with Thai Boxing Association advisor Suchai Phonchaisak-Udom offering an additional 1 million baht reward if Janjaem wins. A victory would boost her total prize money to 10.2 million baht.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
