It is the third consecutive year that Panipak and Kunlavut have received the award. Panipak also received the top Thai athlete award following her historic gold medal performance at the Paris Olympic Games last year, reports the Bangkok Post.
The now retired taekwondo star was the first Thai athlete to win two gold medals in the Olympics when she defeated China’s Guo Qing in the French capital.
In doing so the Surat Thani native also became the first Thai athlete to capture back-to-back Olympic titles following her previous triumph in Tokyo in 2021.
Widely regarded as a national treasure for her sporting achievements, 27-year-old Panipak confirmed her retirement after her success in Paris, citing a series of niggling injuries that had been affecting her knee, ankle and hip as factors that contributed to her decision.
Kunlavut won the first-ever Olympic badminton medal for Thailand when he secured the men’s singles silver medal at Paris 2024.
Playing in his first Olympics, 23-year-old Kunlavut was defeated by world No.1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the final.
The Bangkok native also became the first Thai men’s singles player to claim the Asian title after his victory at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, on Apr 13 this year.
Kunlavut and Panipak were also named the best male and female amateur athletes of the year by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) at a ceremony during the National Sports Day at Bangkok’s Indoor Stadium presided over by Tourism and Sports minister Sorawong Thienthong on Dec 16 last year.
YOUNGEST OLYMPIAN
All the winners were honoured at a ceremony presided over by Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was also the chairwoman of the event’s organising panel.
Weightlifter Weeraphon Wichuma took SWAT’s best male youth athlete award for winning a silver medal in the men’s 73kg event at the Paris Games.
The best female youth athlete was skateboarder Vareeraya Sukasem, who at 12 years of age was Thailand youngest-ever Olympian. Vareeraya finished 17th in the women’s street event and her presence in Paris earned a lot of attention from both Thai and international media.
Motorcycle racer Somkiat Chantra won the best men’s professional award while world No.2 ranked golfer Atthaya ‘Jeeno’ Thitikul took the women’s title.
Somkiat finished the 2024 Moto2 season in 12th place before securing a two-year contract to become the first Thai rider in MotoGP with LCR Honda.
Meanwhile, Atthaya teamed up with China’s Yin Ruoning to win the Dow Championship and took home the US$4 million (approximately B138 million) first-place prize - the largest in professional women’s golf history - for winning the season-ending Tour Championship last year.
Jeeno was the highest money earner in the LPGA Tour last year with $6.1mn from two titles and 12 top-10 finishes.
Khunsueklek Boomdeksian, with five wins against one loss last year, received the best Muay Thai athlete trophy.
PARALYMPIC PRAISE
Wheelchair racer Chaiwat Ratana and wheelchair fencer Saysunee Jana were the men’s and women’s disabled athletes of the year respectively.
Chaiwat won a gold medal in the men’s 100m T34 event and a silver medal in the 800m event at the Paris Paralympics while Saysunee was the first female wheelchair fencer to win gold in all three disciplines - sabre, foil, and epee - in Paris. She also took a bronze medal in the women’s epee team category B event in the French capital.
The best team (sport) award went to the national men’s sepak takraw squad, who won the 37th King’s Cup.
The best team (event) were the Olympic women’s table tennis team of Suthasini Sawettabut, Orawan Paranang and Jinnipa Sawettabut who finished fifth in Paris.
Nakhon Ratchasima QminC volleyball club were the best professional team (sport) after winning their 10th Thailand League men’s title. It was their third successive unbeaten season.
The best professional team (event) were mixed doubles badminton players Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai with two titles at the Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters and the India Open last year.
Taekwondo coach Chatchai Choi received the best amateur coach award while badminton coach Patapol Ngernsrisuk was the best professional coach.
The Taekwondo Association of Thailand was chosen as the best sports association body.