Thai boxers reigned supreme in the ring after rounding off their tremendous campaign on home soil in style by sweeping 14 titles on the last day of the boxing competition at the 33rd SEA Games at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center on Friday.
A harvest day for the Thai boxing team was expected after they paraded into all but one of the 17 finals featured on the day in both men’s and women’s events.
Thipsatcha Yodwaree was the first home fighter to step into the ring, facing Vietnam’s Ngo Ngoc Linh Chi in the women’s 48kg final. Boxing confidently from the opening round, the 22-year-old started the day in style with a comfortable win.
Despite facing a tougher challenge against Aira Villegas of the Philippines in the women’s 50kg class, veteran fighter Chuthamat Raksat made good use of her experience to see off the Filipino, with an Olympic bronze medal in Paris under her belt, in the end.
Chuthamat Raksat (R)
Winning on her swansong at the Games, the 32-year-old Thai dedicated her hard-fought win to her critically ill father.
“I won this gold medal for my father, who is in critical condition. The spread of cancer was just discovered in his body. He was sent to Buriram Hospital when the Games were about to start. He texted me to keep fighting,” said Chuthamat.
In the women’s 54kg final, Thai-New Zealander boxer Natnicha Chongprongklang staved off a spirited rally in the third round by Nabila Maharani of Indonesia to make it three wins out of three for the hosts’ fighters.
Moving up to box in the featherweight category following her 54kg triumph at the previous Games in Cambodia, Punrawee Ruenros made a seamless transition with her comfortable victory over Nguyen Huyen Tran of Vietnam.
Punrawee Ruenros
Up against defending champion Linh Thi Ha of Vietnam in the women’s 60kg class, Apisada Tantawa was unable to extend the hosts’ winning streak and had to settle for only a silver medal after being second best to the Vietnamese rival throughout the bout.
Light welterweight Thananya Somnuek, though, quickly got the Thai team’s campaign back on track, starting on the front foot from the opening bell as her gung-ho approach paid dividends with a unanimous victory over Indonesia’s Huswatun Hasanah.
Paris Olympic bronze medalist Janjaem Suwannapheng lived up to expectations with an imperious showing, picking off hapless rival Xiu Yu Warden of Singapore at will before recording a lopsided win in the women’s 66kg event.
Janjaem Suwannapheng
Having overcome world champion Hergie Bacyadan of the Philippines on her way to the final in the women’s 70kg class, Baison Manikon, who claimed a bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games two years ago, kept up her form against Vietnam’s Hoang Ngoc Mai to ensure the hosts won all but one of the women’s eight title bouts.
The first gold medal fight in the men’s events pitted Thitiwat Phlongaurai against Filipino opponent Jay Bryan Baricuatro, and it was the Thai fighter who emerged victorious from a thrilling duel featuring several fierce exchanges.
Thitiwat Phlongaurai
With his shorter range putting him at a disadvantage, Thitisan Panmot was unable to carry on the momentum for the hosts, finding himself on the wrong end of a split decision against Indonesia’s Vicky Junior Tahuml in the men’s 51kg category.
After winning the flyweight division at the 2023 Games in Phnom Penh, Thanarat Saengphet moved up one weight division to box in the 54kg class and acquitted himself seamlessly with a solid display before registering a unanimous win over Jara Flint of the Philippines.
Coming up against Nguyen Van Doung, one of two Vietnamese fighters featuring in the men’s finals, featherweight Sarawut Sukthet was clearly superior, and the home fighter was declared the winner after his bout ended prematurely due to a cut above his opponent’s left eyebrow.
In the second Thailand-versus-Indonesia final, lightweight Sakda Ruamtham was made to work hard against his Indonesian opponent Udin Asri, who frequently switched his stance during the bout, but ended up clinching a rather comfortable win.
In the 63.5kg title bout, Khunatip Pidnuch seemingly looked to have the easiest task among the home athletes as he faced Gaio Elsio Ramundo, the sole fighter from Timor-Leste to fight his way into the finals.
An eight count he forced in the second round underlined the dominant nature of his win.
Bunjong Sinsiri and Weerapon Jongjoho made no mistake in adding two more titles for the hosts with their triumphs in the men’s 69kg and 75kg classes respectively.
The Thais’ overall haul of 14 titles ensured they finished atop the boxing standings for the third time in a row. It is also their second-best tally at the Games, falling just two short of the 16 golds they won in 2007 in Nakhon Ratchasima.
