For the first time in Olympic history, Thailand has finally won its first medal in badminton. Kunlavut Vitidsarn, a men's singles badminton athlete who advanced to the final stage, presented this historic medal for Thai badminton. Kunlavut Vitidsarn secured the silver medal in the final match after losing 0-2 to Denmark's men's singles badminton athlete, Victor Axelsen.
The silver medal won by Kunlavut Vitidsarn is Thailand's first medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Considering that, since Thailand participated in the Olympics in 1952, the country has never won a medal in badminton. Historically, Thailand's Olympic medals have been dominated by three sports: weightlifting, boxing, and taekwondo, with 37 medals with 10 gold, 9 silver, and 18 bronze (as of Thursday, August 8, 2024, 14:00).
Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Kunlavut Vitidsarn is a Thai men's singles badminton athlete born on May 11, 2001. At 23 years old, he is touted as the future star of Thai badminton. Indeed, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Kunlavut Vitidsarn etched his name as the silver medalist for Thailand's national badminton team.
This Thai badminton athlete has the competitive mindset to match top badminton players such as Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA), Lee Zii Jia (MAS), Loh Kean Yew (SIN), and Jonathan Christie (INA).
Champion of the 2023 World Championships
In addition, the Chonburi-born athlete achieved an extraordinary feat by winning the title at the 2023 BWF World Championships in Denmark. This was another historic first for Thailand at the BWF World Championships. The final match, held on August 27, 2023, saw Kunlavut Vitidsarn triumph over Japan's Kodai Naraoka with a final score of 3-1 in favor of Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Winning Three Consecutive Junior World Championships
Known as "View," he has recorded numerous victories in both senior and junior events. At the junior level, Kunlavut Vitidsarn won the junior world championships three times consecutively in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This indicates that he has been a world junior champion since the age of 16, as the rules require junior-level participants to be under 18 years old. This achievement propelled him to become the world's number-one junior badminton player.
Victorious in Multiple World Championships
Kunlavut Vitidsarn has also won various world championship matches at a young age. At the BWF World Tour level, he secured his second title at the India Open. In 2022, he won the German Open 2022 title. In Southeast Asia, he won two gold medals for Thailand in men's singles and men's team badminton at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Future Prospects
Kunlavut Vitidsarn's relentless hard work and success in training and competing in various championships make him one of Thailand's brightest badminton players. With a match record of 253 wins and 74 losses, he currently ranks 4th in the world with a total of 206 victories across several badminton events (men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles).
At 23 years old, Kunlavut has a promising future. His silver medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics is expected to motivate him to perform even better and aim for a gold medal in the next Olympics. Notably, many of Kunlavut's victories in world championships, such as the Olympics and the BWF World Championships, are historic wins for Thailand. It is hoped that this success will continue and inspire all Thai athletes to strive for maximum achievements in every competition they participate in.
