After conquering world golf, Ariya named Thailand’s top athlete of 2018

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After conquering world golf, Ariya named Thailand’s top athlete of 2018

By LERPONG AMSA-NGIAM 
THE NATION

 

Ariya Jutanugarn receives the Best Professional Athlete Award from a representative of the Sports Authority of Thailand.

 

WORLD No 1 golfer Ariya Jutanugarn beat soccer star Chanathip Songkrasin to win the Best Professional Athlete of the year at the annual Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) awards yesterday.

 

 

The 22-year-old’s latest silverware comes after a year in which she swept every major golfing award – Player of the Year, No 1 player, Race to CME Globe (accumulated points), the Annika Major Award, LPGA Vare Trophy, Top 10 Leaders and No 1 on the Money List. 

 

She was the heavy favourite to clinch Thailand’s top sporting honour over Chanathip, who was the nation’s most successful football player in 2018 after helping Japan’s Consadole Sapporo to a record-high fourth place in the J League.

 

Thai-Australian Jai Angsuthasawit won the Best Male Amateur award after he became the first Thai to win a cycling keirin gold medal at the Asian Games with a sparkling performance in Jakarta.

 

The Cycling Association of Thailand, with one gold, two silvers and three bronzes from the Asiad, was named the best sport association of the year.

 

On the women’s side, taekwondo exponent Panipak Wongpattanakit won the Best Female Amateur Athlete after winning gold medals at the Asian Games and at four World Cup |events.

 

Women’s Volleyball Team coach Danai Sriwatcharamethakul won Best Thai Coach while Cuban Juan Bautista Fontanills won Best Foreign Coach. The National Women’s volleyball outfit won Best Sports Team while the Best Team event went to the national women’s badminton squad.

 

 

A total of 34 awards were presented at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium yesterday. There were also special Honorary Awards for Thai Badminton Association president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul and singer Athiwara Khongmalai (“Toon Bodyslam”).

 

Patama, also an International Olympic Committee member, was recognised for her work co-ordinating between Thai and international sports bodies while the leading singer of Bodyslam was honoured for his charity run across the country, which raised more than Bt33.6 million.

 

Selected List of Awards

Best Professional Athlete: Ariya Jutanugarn (golf)

Best Male Amateur Athlete: Jai Angsuthasawit (cyling)

Best Female Amateur Athlete: Panipak Wongpattanakit (taekwondo)

Best Male Junior Athlete: Atichai Phoemsap (boxing)

Best Female Junior: Atthaya Thitikul (golf)

Best Muay Thai Boxer: Tawanchai PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym

Best Male Para Athlete: Pongsakorn Paeyor (Athletics)

Best Female Para Athlete: Suneeporn Tanomwong (Athletics)

Best Thai Coach: Danai Sriwatcharamethakul (Women’s volleyball team)

Best Foreign Coach: Juan Bautista Fontanills of Cuba (boxing)

Best Sports Team: National Women’s volleyball

Best Team event: National women’s badminton team

Best Sports Association: Thai Cycling Association

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/sports/30360524

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-17

[Prissana Pescud]

Wonderful story, this. Thailand has lagged in sporting achievements.

I would love to see Thailand adopt more sports. Malaysia, India and Pakistan are very competitive in grass hockey.

India and Pakistan play cricket. India is arguably the world champs at cricket.

Even lawn bowls would be suitable for this climate.

Baseball, basketball.

How about some positive input on this achievement.

[gjoo888]

3 hours ago, Prissana Pescud said:

Wonderful story, this. Thailand has lagged in sporting achievements.

I would love to see Thailand adopt more sports. Malaysia, India and Pakistan are very competitive in grass hockey.

India and Pakistan play cricket. India is arguably the world champs at cricket.

Even lawn bowls would be suitable for this climate.

Baseball, basketball.

How about some positive input on this achievement.

Ariya's attainment of the #1 ranking is huge for a country like Thailand. For her to beat competitors from the US, Europe, Oz, S. Korea, etc., is quite an accomplishment. Her sister and a couple of other Thai golfers are no slouches either. 

 

The Thai women's badminton team finished 2nd in the world team championship Uber Cup this year, ahead of world powers China, Indonesia, Denmark, S. Korea and others. Ratchanok Intanon won the world single's championship a few years back, and was briefly ranked #1 in the past. Many other Thai shuttlers are highly ranked, and a Thai boy has won the last two world junior single's championships.

 

Other Thais have won Olympic medals in boxing and weightlifting. Of the other sports you mentioned, I don't think there's much interest in those sports here. Basketball is popular in schools, but until Thailand can start breeding 7 foot tall athletes with the athleticism of Michael Jordan, there's not much of a chance of Thailand ever being world competitive in basketball. Overall, I think Thailand has done pretty well in the sports that are popular here.

[joebrown]

And an added bonus to all this fame and wealth is that she'll be able to buy a property {in her own name} in almost any country in the world.