IWF120y/54 – 2000: Female lifters set Olympic milestones for Thailand

Weightlifting and Boxing are quite popular sports in Thailand and appear at the top of the medal chart concerning medals won at the Olympic Games. Lifters have a slight advantage, with 17 podium presences, including five gold, four silver, and eight bronze medals. In our Sport, this successful road started in 2000, when women could participate for the first time in the Games. In the 58kg category, Khassaraporn Suta became the first-ever female Olympic medallist (all sports) for her country, earning the bronze (97.5-117.5-210). Four years later, her compatriot Udomporn Polsak (photo – at the 2003 IWF Worlds) ‘upgraded’ this achievement, with the first-ever Thai gold medal for a female athlete in the 53kg category (97.5-125-222.5). This trend continued until 2016, when in Rio (BRA), Sinphet Kruaithong was the first man to climb on an Olympic podium – winning a bronze (132-157-289) in the 56kg. Out of the 17 medals, 14 were obtained by women and only three by Thai male lifters. The last edition of the Games, Paris 2024, was particularly successful for the Asian nation, with three podium presences (silver in the men’s 61kg and 73kg, and bronze in the women’s 49kg). At the IWF World Championships, Thailand consolidated its status as a powerhouse in our Sport: 51 (only Total results) and 140 (Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total) medals.