National —
On August 6th, 2024, “Bee” Janjaem Suwannapheng, a rising Thai boxing star, secured a bronze medal after losing to Algeria’s Imane Khelif in the women’s 66 kg semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Janjaem previously lost to Khelif in the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships semifinal (0-5). However, Khelif was disqualified due to her hormone test not meeting the criteria.
The first round saw cautious engagement, with Khelif taking a lead with precise punches, ending the round 5-0. The second round had Janjaem trying to close in but struggling against Khelif’s reach, widening the score gap. In the final round, despite a valiant effort, Janjaem was counted out in the closing moments, resulting in a 0-5 loss.
However, Janjaem’s bronze is Thailand’s second medal at these Games, earning her a reward of 4.8 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund. She is also only 23 and has a whole career ahead of her.
Thai Women’s Table Tennis Team Falls to Japan
The Thai women’s table tennis team, ranked 13th globally, faced world No. 2 Japan in the quarterfinals after a thrilling 3-2 win over host France.
In the doubles match, Orawan Paranang and Suthasini Sawettabut, ranked 8th in women’s doubles, lost 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 5-11) to Miu Hirano and Hina Hayata. The second match saw Jinnipa Sawettabut, ranked 115th, lose 0-3 (10-12, 5-11, 9-11) to Miwa Harimoto, world No. 8. With their backs against the wall, Orawan fought hard in the third match but ultimately fell 0-3 (8-11, 5-11, 6-11) to Miu Hirano, ending the contest 0-3 in favor of Japan.
Thai Taekwondo Athletes Ready for Action
Thai taekwondo fighters are set to compete, starting with “Tennis” Panipak Wongpattanakit, the reigning gold medalist in the women’s 49 kg category, on August 7th around 3:30 PM. She will face either Ana Belo from Timor-Leste or Umema El Bouchi from Morocco in the round of 16.
“Yu” Banlung Tubtimdang will compete in the men’s 68 kg category on August 8th. And “Baitoey” Sasikarn Tongchan will compete in the women’s 67 kg category on August 9th, facing Caroline Santos from Brazil in the first round, with potential matches against top-seeded opponents in later rounds.
Weightlifting, another sport Thailand has many medals in, also starts soon.
Read our recent update on the Paris 2024 Olympics here.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
