Panipak Wongpattanakit’s coach Chatchai Choi: How to train to be an Olympic taekwondo athlete
Chatchai Choi, coach of the Olympic taekwondo gold medallist and two-time world champion Panipak Wongpattanakit from Thailand, spoke to Olympics.com about his special relationship with the 49-kg class fighter and his training methods that include innovative mental resilience strategies.
Panipak Wongpattanakit, who was born in 1997 and is the first-ever Thai Olympic taekwondo champion, met Dr Chatchai Choi when she was 13 years old. Choi, formerly known as Choi Young Seok, acquired Thai citizenship last year after naturalising from Republic of Korea.
“Since 2002, in preparation for the Busan Asian Games, I have served as the head coach of the Thai national taekwondo team. As the homeland of Muay Thai, Thailand was determined to cultivate a national taekwondo presence, leading to my invitation,” he shared in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
His appointment marked the first instance of a Korean, and indeed any foreigner, taking on this role.
Two years later, he led the Thai national team to its first Olympic medal with Yaowapa Boorapolchai earning bronze in the 49kg weight category at Athens 2004.
Ultimately his special bond with Panipak ushered in a new era of Thai taekwondo, culminating in the country’s first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021.
Discover below how Choi is planning to guide Panipak to maintain her unbeatable form even after triumphing at the world’s biggest sports event.
A typical training week of Panipak Wongpattanakit
Panipak usually trains with around 30 national teammates from Monday to Saturday. Here is her weekly training schedule in the national camp:
Monday – Friday
- 6am-8am: Weight training; physical strengthening training
- 8am: Group breakfast before going to school
- 4pm-7pm: Training sessions for taekwondo techniques; Kyorugi sparring
Saturday: 9am-12pm: Weekend training sessions
Sunday: Rest
Panipak is currently studying for a master’s degree at the Bangkok Thonburi University, having previously completed a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration at the same institution. Since her classes don’t occur daily, she comes to training centre whenever time permits.
After having coached her for nearly 13 years, Choi can now discern her condition each day simply by observing her, without need for verbal communication.
“In martial arts, many coaches tend to be dominant and strict, pushing athletes’ abilities to their limits on the tough scene. However, I know Panipak’s personality and form better than anyone else,” he said.
“She’s the type who always tries to push herself. There have been times when I had to stop her from overtraining and instead suggest light running exercises.”
Special bond with Choi: Her taekwondo father
Dr Choi is more than just her coach now, having met the 13-year-old during a national team training camp in Bangkok.
Among around 50 youth athletes who aspired to represent their country, Panipak came from Surat Thani, a location requiring roughly a 12-hour train ride to Thailand’s capital. However, she returned home less than two weeks after the start of the camp.
“It must have been very difficult for her to be apart from her family. What could I do at that time? I had no choice but to let her leave.
"Panipak has been raised by her father after her mother passed away, so I suggested that she discuss it with him first,” said Choi who learned Thai as soon as he arrived in the country.
A few days later, Panipak’s father, Sirichai Wongpattanakit, brought her back to Bangkok. “When he apologised for her actions, I felt an even greater responsibility, so I promised him that I would take care of her like my daughter.
“I believe that her father’s firm attitude shaped who she is today.”
Three key factors: Panipak kick, flexibility and stamina
Dr Chatchai Choi suggests that Panipak, who stands at 173cm tall, benefited from the introduction of the Protector and Scoring System (PSS) introduced at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Body armour, fitted with electronic body protector sensors, registers kicks and punches if applied with sufficient force.
“Before the PSS, athletes who were more powerful and speedy had an advantage in scoring points. As Panipak is significantly taller and leaner than other competitors in 49kg weight class, her physical condition could’ve been seen as a disadvantage,” Choi explained.
However, under the PSS, she can showcase her talent, particularly with exceptional flexibility and long legs, which allow her to reach an opponent’s head and potentially score up to five points – the highest mark.
‘Panipak Kick’, also known as ‘scorpion kick’ on the scene, is one of her featured techniques that makes her unbeatable.
“Much like a scorpion raise its tail to attack, she raises her leg from the backside and strikes the trunk protector. This kick is usually challenging for taekwondo athletes, as many of them have often been trained to kick from the front.
“However, we trained our athletes to kick behind their back by practising with a ball for one hour each day. This was to enable them to apply this kick when an opponent’s head is behind of their back. She was the only one who managed to master that skill perfectly.”
Above all, Choi emphasises that stamina is key, as all matches – from qualifications to the final – take place within a single day.
“The results largely depend on athletes’ physical strength. Regardless of skill, if you lack stamina to last until the end, it’s pointless.
“She was leaner previously, but through weight training, she has now become fitter, and her kicks have also become stronger than before.”
Key to mentality: Embracing defeat
Through five editions of the Olympic Games from Athens 2004 until Tokyo 2020, Choi has come to understand that mentality is key to success, as performance levels among Olympians is so close.
Panipak experienced this in the quarter-final at Rio 2016.
Prior to the Brazil Games, she seemed invincible, having swept titles at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games (-44kg class), the 2015 World Championships (-46kg class) and the 2016 Asian Championships (-49kg class).
However, despite leading throughout, Panipak lost to Korea's Kim So-Hui in the last four seconds of their bout. Kim went on to become Olympic champion.
“Panipak had defeated Kim twice ahead of Rio 2016, so she was more than confident. Nevertheless, despite winning bronze, her first Olympic medal, the defeat hurt the-18-year-old. She expressed a desire to quit.
“I advised to take a month-long break first to spend time with her family in her hometown to reward her for hard training and medal. I had a hunch that she would undoubtedly return to the team.”
As Choi had anticipated, Panipak made a return after less than a month’s break.
After her comeback, the Thai national team engaged in many different activities like playing football, swimming and watching movies together besides taekwondo, and they also had many conversations.
“I explained that winning is not everything in sports. As an athlete, we will always experience wins and losses, so we shouldn’t be devasted by defeat. Instead, it’s much healthier to reflect on what led to the loss and prepare for the next game.”
After four years, she took home the nation's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo.
“I would say 24 July 2021 is a historic day for the Thai taekwondo scene. I will never forget that day after spending 21 years of my life in this country,” Choi said.
However, after training the first Thai female Olympic gold medallist, he was ready to move forward quickly.
“She was the Olympic champion on 24 July 2021, but the following day, we had a fresh start for upcoming competitions,”said Choi whose nickname is ‘Tiger’.
“It is more crucial to continue training hard without any injuries. I always aspire to coach dedicated athletes, not just champions or super stars.”
(Dr Chatcahi Choi, coach of Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Panipak Wongpattanakit to Olympics.com)
What’s their goal for Paris 2024? A second gold?
“Of course, it will be incredible to defend her title at Paris 2024, but winning medals isn’t a given. All 16 athletes will come to Paris with the same reason, which is to reach the podium," he said.
“Panipak could potentially face more stress and pressure than any other athlete, with worries like, ‘What if I lose to some rookies’ as she had won everything [including two world titles, one Asian Games gold and four Southeast Asian Games golds].
“I continually reassure her that it will be a significant achievement to simply stand on the stage in Paris as the first-ever Thai taekwondo athlete to make three appearances at the Games.”
Furthermore, if she secures a medal at the Grand Palais next year, she will make history as the first Thai athlete across all sports to clinch three Olympic medals.
Panipak’s pastime: Social media
Beyond her talent, Choi highlighted that Panipak’s greatest strength is her excellent self-management.
“Athletes in the 49kg weight class are always required to maintain a strict diet. Therefore, many of them indulge in a cheat meal and gain 3-4kg after their competition. However, she never consumes unhealthy food,” Choi explained.
“One day, I asked her why, and she said, ‘as long as I have chosen to live as an athlete, I want to control everything I can to fit into that life’. There is no better role model in the scene than her.”
How does the five-time world medallists find enjoyment in her life outside of taekwondo, then?
Her favourite way to unwind is through social media, particularly TikTok, where she has 1.4 million followers.
“She used to be very shy. However, she now shares what to eat, training routines and more with her fans on social media. I believe that this interaction with many of her supporters provides a positive energy to her who devotes her life to the sport.”