Banlung delivered a career-defining performance in Wuxi, China, to capture the men’s 68kg title, reports the Bangkok Post.
After settling for silver in the 63kg division at the 2023 championships in Baku, the 22-year-old Thai fighter showed his growth and resilience by overcoming South Korea’s Seong Yu-Hyeon in the final.
He dominated the opening round 10-5 before sealing the title with a sharp counter-attacking display in the second, which he won 7-1.
His path to the top of the podium was equally impressive.
Banlung dispatched Libya’s Najimuldin Birzeeq 2-0 in the round of 64, followed by another 2-0 win over Australia’s Xavier Nikolovski.
He then defeated Kazakhstan’s Damir Shulenov 2-0 in the last 16 and edged Senegal’s Mouhamadou Mansour Lo 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final, he outclassed Croatia’s Matija Crep 6-4, 16-3, before producing his finest performance in the gold medal bout.
“I am very happy to have won this world championship, and I would like to present this gold medal to the Thai people. This success came from my determination after my performance was not good at the beginning of the year. After this I will focus on the next mission, which is the SEA Games in Thailand in December,” said Banlung.
Banlung’s victory makes him the sixth Thai athlete to win a world taekwondo title.
The past Thai world champions in taekwondo are Chatchawal Kaola-or (men’s 54kg) and Rangsiya Nisaisom (women’s 62kg) in 2011, Chanatip Sonkham (women’s 49kg) in 2013, Panipak Wongpattanakit (women’s 46kg) in 2015, Panipak (women’s 49kg) and Pannapa Harnsujitr (women’s 57kg) in 2019.
His triumph has given Thailand their first gold medal of the world meet in Wuxi, where other Thai fighters have shown promise by making it to the deeper rounds.
This success comes at a crucial time for Thai taekwondo with the 2025 SEA Games set to be hosted in Thailand this December.
Banlung’s victory provides a major psychological boost for the national team. His gold medal not only inspires his teammates but also raises expectations that Thailand can continue to dominate the regional stage in the sport.
Looking further ahead, the performance in Wuxi strengthens Thailand’s ambitions for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the nation hopes to add to its already impressive Olympic taekwondo legacy.
Thailand have long been a powerhouse in the sport with stars such as Panipak bringing Olympic glory to the nation.
Panipak, who won taekwondo gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2024 Paris Games and a bronze medal at Rio 2016, announced her retirement from the sport after Paris 2024.