Olympic taekwondo champion Panipak Wongpattanakit claims fourth straight title at SEA Games
Thailand's Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 secured another victory in the -49kg division as she continues her preparation for Paris 2024.
Taekwondo
Thailand's taekwondo superstar Panipak Wongpattanakit added another medal to her collection after claiming gold in the -49kg division at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia on Sunday (14 May).
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist beat Vietnam's Thi Kim Tuyen Truong in the final.
"It was a tough competition, and the final was especially tough, so I am happy to have won this gold medal."
What follows next is more preparation ahead of defending her title at Paris 2024 and also a possible break. But there's a catch.
"I will prepare for another Olympics next year but first there is the World Championships in Azerbaijan. I have told my family, if I win there I will take them for a holiday, then continue my preparations for the Olympics after that."
Cambodia's Sorn Seavmey claims SEA Games gold on home turf
Cambodia's own taekwondo star, Sorn Seavmey, claimed gold in the women's over 73kg division at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games held in her home country.
She defeated Lao People's Democratic Republic's Sirimanotham Sonesavnh with a score of 2-0, adding another impressive win to her list of achievements.
In 2014, Seavmey became Cambodia's first athlete to win gold at an Asian Games, and now, at 27 years old, she has secured gold at her nation's first-ever hosting of the Southeast Asian Games.