A photo of two sprinting heroes from Thailand and China, Puripol Boonson and Chen Yujie, has sparked a wave of playful matchmaking among fans online, prompting the Thai sprinter to step in and clarify that the pair are just friends.
Puripol Boonson, better known by his nickname ‘Bew’, 20, and Chen Yujie, 17, have both emerged as stars of the athletics competition at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, with the Thai sprinter winning gold in the men’s 100 and 200 metres and silver in the mixed 4x100m relay, while Chen claimed gold in the women’s 100m and 4x100m relay and silver in the 200m.
Their appearances together prompted fans to imagine them as a sporting power couple, but Puripol moved to put a stop to the matchmaking after winning silver in the mixed 4x100m relay on Tuesday.
“There’s news that people are pairing me with Chen Yujie. Please don’t do that. We’re just friends. My girlfriend might get upset,” Puripol said with a smile.
Puripol later posted a photo with his girlfriend on social media, accompanied by the song ‘Cheua Chan’ (Believe Me) by Thai singer Danupol Kaewkan.
On the track, however, Puripol and Chen remain friendly rivals. Chen overtook Thailand’s final runner in the closing stages of the mixed 4x100m relay, giving China gold in 40.78 seconds and Thailand silver in 40.87.
By Marisa Chimprabha
