Thai Taekwondo Star Panipak Wongpattanakit Wins Second Olympic Gold:
Thailand celebrated as taekwondo star Panipak Wongpattanakit won her second Olympic gold medal, triumphing in the women's flyweight division at the Paris Olympics. Panipak, who plans to retire after the Games, defeated China’s Guo Qing with a score of 6-3, 2-3, 6-2, securing her place in history as the first Thai athlete to win two Olympic golds. Despite battling injuries, Panipak’s determination led her to victory. She marked her win by waving the Thai flag and confirming her retirement, inviting others to train with her at her gym in Thailand.

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Panipak Wongpattanakit won her second Olympic gold medal

Good on her. 

 

I saw on Thai TV the celebration award, it looked like her and her coach I think. 

 

Whoever he was I reckon he got a bit too excited, stole the show, running around with the Thai flag, leaving the poor woman in his wake. 

She finally got hold of the flag and ran around with it 👍

 

Kudos to this outstanding two time Olympic gold medal winner. Her coach is the most successful coaches in the history of the Olympics, for Thailand, so I certainly understand him celebrating her victory too. No doubt it was a victory for not only both of them, but for the entire nation.

 

Kudos to Panipak! 6 medals to date for Thailand. #1 in ASEAN, in total medals, with the PI 2nd with 4. 

 

‘Panipak Kick’, also known as ‘scorpion kick’ on the scene, is one of her featured techniques that makes her unbeatable.

 

“Much like a scorpion raise its tail to attack, she raises her leg from the backside and strikes the trunk protector. This kick is usually challenging for taekwondo athletes, as many of them have often been trained to kick from the front.

 

“However, we trained our athletes to kick behind their back by practising with a ball for one hour each day. This was to enable them to apply this kick when an opponent’s head is behind of their back. She was the only one who managed to master that skill perfectly.” https://olympics.com/en/news/panipak-wongpattanakit-coach-chatchai-choi-training-taekwondo

 

Dr. Chatchai Choi, Instructors of Department of Sport and Health Science, Kasetsart University and coach of Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion Panipak Wongpattanakit from Thailand, spoke about his special relationship with the 49-kg fighter and his innovative training methods that include mental resilience strategies.

 

Panipak, the first Thai Olympic taekwondo champion, met Dr. Chatchai Choi when she was 13 years old. Choi, formerly known as Choi Young Seok, recently acquired Thai citizenship after naturalizing from South Korea. “Since 2002, in preparation for the Busan Asian Games, I have served as the head coach of the Thai national taekwondo team. Thailand, the homeland of Muay Thai, was determined to cultivate a national taekwondo presence, leading to my invitation,” he shared in an exclusive interview.

 

His appointment marked the first instance of a Korean, and indeed any foreigner, taking on this role. Two years later, he led the Thai national team to its first Olympic medal with Yaowapa Boorapolchai earning bronze in the 49kg weight category at Athens 2004.

 

Ultimately, his special bond with Panipak ushered in a new era of Thai taekwondo, culminating in the country’s first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021.