Somrak Kamsing was sentenced to two years in jail on October 20, capping a spectacular fall from grace for an Olympic hero once adored by millions.
The trial stemmed from his December 2023 encounter with a 17-year-old student at an entertainment venue in Khon Kaen. The former boxing champion had returned to his hotel room with the girl, who later accused him of attempted rape. Somrak denied the allegation, claiming they only got as far as kissing and hugging before he ended the date after discovering her age.
The Khon Kaen Court of Appeal found him guilty of removing a minor from her parents’ care but dismissed his earlier attempted-rape conviction and reduced the lower court’s sentence of three years and one month.
Thailand’s first Olympic gold medalist continued to protest his innocence, maintaining that he “did nothing wrong” after he was granted bail of 300,000 baht. The 53-year-old said he would appeal to the highest court.
“Looking at everything, I feel as though I am the victim,” he said. “But it’s okay, I’ll continue fighting the case in the Supreme Court,” Somrak said in a Facebook video clip posted right after he was released on bail.
The criminal case is not Somrak’s first brush with the law.
In 2018, the Central Bankruptcy Court declared him and his wife, Saowanee, bankrupt and confiscated their assets over 9 million baht in unpaid debts. The order was lifted two years later after the debts were settled, with Somrak crediting financial support from his daughter and son, both well-known social media influencers.
Somrak reportedly divorced his wife in October 2023, two months before the encounter involving the minor.
Childhood dream to be PM
Born on January 16, 1973, in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen, Somrak was taught Muay Thai from an early age by his father, a professional boxer. He made his kickboxing debut at the tender age of seven and went on to build a reputation as a fearsome warrior in the ring.
The Olympic medalist once admitted that boxing was never his childhood dream career. “My schoolteacher once asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was to be prime minister,” he told media.
While still a schoolboy, Somrak was recruited by a local Muay Thai camp to train as a professional boxer. He later moved to Bangkok and joined a major boxing camp in the capital. A highly skilled fighter with sharp vision, fluid movement, and exceptional defensive abilities, he scaled the heights of Muay Thai, reportedly earning around 100,000 baht per bout.
As suitable Muay Thai rivals became increasingly difficult to find, he shifted to international amateur boxing in the 1990s. He was recruited by the Royal Thai Navy, serving as a boxer and naval officer.
He went on to win national titles, before earning gold medals for Thailand at the 1994 and 1998 Asian Games and the 1995 Southeast Asian Games.
Winning Olympic gold
In 1996 he made history at the Atlanta Games by becoming the first Thai to win an Olympic gold medal – an achievement that elevated him to national-hero status.
The Navy rewarded him with a promotion from chief petty officer to sub-lieutenant. He left the military in 2018 as a lieutenant commander.
Olympic success led to an offer to play the leading role in a historical television drama about a Siamese boxing hero from the Ayutthaya period. He starred alongside renowned Thai boxers Samart Payakaroon and Khaosai Galaxy.
As his boxing career began to wind down, Somrak appeared in several films and television series. He retired from boxing in 2014 and turned his attention to show business.
Between 2014 and 2024, he appeared in more than two dozen films and television series. He also released several music albums, including collaborations with Samart and Khaosai, although they achieved only limited success.
In 2011, he jumped into the political ring, contesting in his home province under the Chart Thai Pattana Party. He failed to secure a seat in Parliament but made another bid in 2023 with the Palang Pracharath Party, only to fall short again.
