The 23-year-old badminton ace brings joy to Thailand with a silver medal in the Paris Olympics. Despite presently only standing 54th in the medal table, the nation celebrated his dedication and effort. Certainly, it shows the flame of Olympic sports is burning strong.
Thailand, as of Monday night, had only one Olympic medal in its haul for Paris 2024. Nonetheless, the spirit of the games was evident for all to see as the nation tuned in to see World Number Eight Kulwut Vitidsarn go for gold in badminton. Afterwards, Mr. Kulwut had to settle for silver. In short, he was beaten and superbly outclassed by Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen. However, this still did not stop Thais from celebrating.
On Monday, Thailand won its first medal in the Paris Olympics. It was a silver in badminton. The result leaves Thailand in 54th place in the Olympic medal table.
Nonetheless, the enthusiasm and excitement generated in Thailand show that Olympic sports are alive and well in the country.
Earlier, as he made his way to the final, 23-year-old policeman Kulwut Vitidsarn was praised by former Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.
General Prawit praises Kulwut as he reached the final in the Paris Olympics to compete for badminton gold
General Prawit is President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT). The Palang Pracharat Party leader even travelled to Paris to see View in action this week.
On Monday evening, there was a gathering at Ban Thong Yod Badminton School where a young Kulwut, from an early age, dreamed of being a world champion.
The President of the school, Ms. Kamala Thongkorn, or Mae Puk, noted that Kulwut was always disciplined and determined.
Meanwhile, she was unstinting in her praise on the evening for the Danish winner of the bout.
Gold medalist pays solemn respect to her father as she makes her triumphant return to Thailand
Viktor Axelsen, the 30-year-old World Number Two, dominated the match. His shots were more precise, and he did not flinch under pressure.
Kulwut Vitidsarn’s former school boss recalls his dedication despite defeat to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen
Axelsen, who is 194 cm to Kulwut’s 177 cm, won the gold medal in two sets, scoring 21-11 each time. Nevertheless, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of badminton students at Kulwut’s or View’s old school.
In brief, dressed in yellow to honour the Thai King and waving Thai flags, they cheered for their hero.
Meanwhile, at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) headquarters, the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) held a well-attended party in the events room.
View’s day job is a career as an administrative officer in the elite Crime Suppression Division (CSD). He is a Sergeant Major.
On Monday night, the CIB chief, General Jiraphat Phuridet, praised his subordinate.
“I personally feel very proud to see him grow and gradually achieve success in what he is good at. And in his badminton career, there are so many people who admire and love him,” he disclosed.
Pride and celebration at CIB headquarters for View’s Olympic badminton silver medal achievement
After the match finished, Ms. Kamala admitted that she was not certain beforehand that View, as World Number Eight, would win gold this time round.
Notably, she said his Danish opponent had caused the school’s protégé to wilt under pressure. She praised the Danish champion Viktor Axelsen for preparing well. In short, he was a worthy gold Olympic champion.
After that, she said it was time for Kulwut to look to the future. Certainly, for a start, he must care for his body.
The badminton school boss said she was hopeful for the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Presently, she said winning a silver medal was no mean achievement.
The result should encourage others in Thailand to follow their dreams.
“I want to send encouragement to everyone. Everyone did their best and put in their all before going. As for View, he sacrificed his time with his family to come and make this a success. Winning the silver medal was a challenging prospect for Thai badminton. Now that we’ve come this far, everyone should have a lot more encouragement,” she concluded.
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