WUSHU: Eight young athletes who won medals in the sport of Wushu while representing Phuket at the recent Thailand National Youth Games were honoured in a special ceremony on Friday (Aug 4).
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew welcomed the youngsters and their parents at Provincial Hall where the athletes were recognised and praised for their achievements.
The team won 16 medals overall, including six gold medals, two silver medals and eight bronze, while representing the province at the 38th edition of the tournament in Nakhon Sawan between Mar 31 to Apr 3.
Phuket finished the tournament in 17th place overall and fourth in the southern-ranked region with an overall medal haul of 53, including 12 gold, 11 silver and 30 bronze.
Leading the medal haul for the young Wushu competitors was Pakin Mutitakul who won three gold medals in different classes of the sport.
Tacharat Phimolphan won one gold, one silver and one bronze while Natthaphon Chancharoensin secured one gold and two bronze medals.
Kanyawee Wongthanavirun won one gold medal and one silver medal, while Kanyaphat Wongthanavirun won two 2 bronze medals.
Nichapat Laoprasertsiri, Thanainan Rakna and Petch Handicraft all won one bronze medal each.
Developed in 1949, Wushu is the Chinese term for martial-arts and is a full-contact combat sport, including styles such as “short hitting” Nanquan and Nantao, a variation that utilises swords.
At Friday’s ceremony Governor Narong expressed his admiration for all of the young athletes that he said had performed impressively at the tournament, citing their dedication, perseverance and determination. He further declared his appreciation and gratitude for their achievements, explaining they had brought great pride to Phuket and its residents.
Governor Narong also thanked the local schools, teachers and coaches that train the youngsters and help them realise their potential, while also reserving special praise for the children’s parents, whose support was imperative to the athletes’ achievements, he said.
Held annually, the Thailand National Youth Games cater specifically to young athletes throughout the country by providing a platform to encourage and develop success in a wide range of sporting disciplines. The first edition was held in 1985 in Nakhon Ratchasima and the recent edition in Nakhon Sawan saw a total of 46 different sports contested with 16,346 athletes and officials involved.
Some of the other sports that Phuket won medals in at this year’s Games included tennis, poomsae, jiu-jitsu, motocross and skateboarding.
The 39th edition of the Thailand Youth Games is scheduled to take place in Ratchaburi province between Mar 21-31, 2024.
