Prawat Wahoram wins Thailand's first Paralympic gold

Prawat Wahoram of Thailand won the gold medal in the Men's 5000 meter T54 wheelchair race during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing on September 11, 2008, at the National Stadium aka Bird's Nest. He earns Thailand's first gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

Don't you wonder what is T54? After some googling, I learned that T54 is a sports classification level for eligibility in competing in Paralympic sports. Classes 51-58 cover wheelchair athletes with different levels of spinal cord injuries and amputations. For a detailed list of the different categories of disability sports classification please visit the website Official Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.


(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Prawat Wahoram crossed the finish line in a time of 10 minutes and 22.38 seconds to beat silver medalist Kurt Fearnley of Australia, who clocked 10:22.97.

The win avenged the Thai's defeat by the Australian at the 2004 Games in Athens. Britain's David Weir took the bronze in 10:23.03.

"I am very happy to win Thailand's first gold medal of the Games. I have to thank my wife and son, who have given me moral support," Prawat said.

Prawat will get a two million Baht bonus from the government for winning a Paralympic gold medal. He will receive another one million Baht after winning the silver medal in the 4x100m wheelchair relay earlier this week, plus another 500,000 Baht for winning the bronze medal in the 800m wheelchair yesterday.

Prawat has three events left in Beijing - the marathon, 1,500m and 4x400m. He has set his sights on taking home another gold in the 4x400m relay where Thailand are the defending champions and record holders. But this is going to be very tough after the Chinese team finished ahead of Thailand in the semifinal heats by setting a new World Record of 3:08.80, finishing almost 7 seconds ahead of Thailand.


(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Prawat is now Thailand's highest medal earner as he has won multiple medals that include:
Men's 5000m - T54 - Gold medal
Men's 800m - T54 - Bronze medal
Men's 4x100m Relay - T53/T54 - Silver medal

Olympic Syndrome hits China, while PAD Syndrome grips Bangkok

The "Olympic Syndrome" has hit many Chinese sports fans after they had spent most of August glued to their television sets watching the Beijing Olympics, the official Xinhua News Agency reports today.

Symptoms include feelings of loss, worrying about work and generally feeling sluggish.


(Photo credit: AFP)

It cited psychological and educational experts as saying that, since the Games ended on Sunday, many viewers were "feeling lost and prone to whining."

I guess many people in Bangkok are feeling the same way too. After all the Beijing Olympics was spectacular, presenting one of the best opening ceremony ever.

Bangkokians are now suffering another kind of disease called the "PAD Syndrome". After staying glued to the radio, television and news portals, some Thais are now quite bugged with the PAD's aggressive activities in the past 2 days. I think it should be called the PAD Syndicated Syndrome. Many others are enjoying it.


(Photo credit: Manager Online)

Olympics Google Logo Designs - Google Doodles

These are the pictures of all Google Olympics Logos or "2008 Summer Games Doodle" shown on Google's Home page during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008. The logo designs make use of the twelve Chinese Zodiac Animal Signs or "Earthly Branches".

August 8 - Opening Ceremony (Fuwa - The Mascots)



August 9 - Cycling (Sheep)



August 10 - Weightlifting (Rat)



August 11 - Diving (Pig/Boar)



August 12 - Rhythmic Gymnastics (Ox)



August 13 - Artistic Gymnastics (Monkey)



August 14 - Basketball (Dragon and Rat)



August 15 - Badminton (Tiger)



August 16 - Soccer (Horse)



August 17 - Rowing (Dog)



August 18 - Table Tennis / Ping Pong (Dragon)




August 19 - Swimming (Snake)



August 20 - Athletics (Horse and Rabbit)



August 21 - High Jump (Rabbit)



August 22 - Taekwondo (Tiger and Monkey)



August 23 - Baseball (Rooster)



August 24 - Closing Ceremony (All 12 animals)

Cuban Taekwondo fighter kicks referee, banned for life

Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba, a Taekwondo athlete kicked a Swedish match referee in the face during the Olympics men's +80kg bronze-medal match on Saturday.


(Photo credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham)


(Photo credit: AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

The video is also on YouTube, watch the YouTube video

The Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the match. The Cuban fighter and his coach were banned for life after the kick, following his disqualification.

Matos was winning 3-2 in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. He was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

"To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."

Matos won the gold medal in this division at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony.

Somjit wins gold, second for Thailand

Thai boxer Somjit Jongjohor (Thai: สมจิตร จงจอหอ) won his first Olympic gold medal by defeating Andris Laffita Hernandez of Cuba by 8-2 during their Men's Flyweight (51 kg) final boxing match of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 23, 2008.


(Photo credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The bronze medals went to Georgy Balakshin of Russia and Italian Vincenzo Picardi, seen in the photo above.

Somjit, 33, earned Thailand's second gold medal in the Olympics. He has been waiting for this day since 12 years and finally realized his dream. This is his last boxing contest, after which he would continue his boxing career as a coach.

Somjit fought really well, and by the end of the 2nd round he was leading 6-0. One of his punches connected so solidly with Laffita Hernandez's face, that Channel NBT ran the punch replay repeatedly for 3 or 4 times after the match was over. Earlier, when the match was about to begin, I was just watching the 6 pm Thai National Anthem being played by NBT, and during the medal ceremony I listened to the Thai Anthem a second time live from Beijing.


(Photo credit: AP)

This was his 5th match in the Olympics and he displayed his superiority in every match, winning by a clear margin. He was older than every opponent he faced and won a combined 39 points and conceded only 7 points.

Somjit's Road To Success in Olympics:

1. Defeated Eddie Valenzuela of Guatemala 6-1
2. Defeated Samir Mammadov of Azerbaijan 10-2
3. Defeated Anvar Yunusov of Tajikistan 8-1
4. Defeated Vincenzo Picardi of Italy 7-1
5. Defeated Andris Laffita Hernandez of Cuba 8-2

Somjit held the portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the announcement of the winning boxer.


(Photo credit: AP)

During the Olympic medal ceremony, he jumped onto the podium in style.


(Photo credit: AP)

Hey Triathlon-ers! Please wait for me!

Hey fellas, wait for me please!


(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Chi Wo Daniel Lee of Hong Kong has a slower reaction time than the rest of his competitors at the start of the men's Triathlon Olympics final. Lee, ranked 92 in the world, is seen in red swim wear on pontoon #12 ready to take his dive, while the rest of the pack are already in the air.

Lee managed to finish in 43rd position in a total time of 1:54:40.78.

Tyson Gay, Lauryn Williams drop baton, US Relay Teams out

The U.S. men and women both dropped the baton in the Olympic 4x100 meter relays Thursday night and failed to advance out of the first round.


(Photo credit: AP)

First, men's anchor Tyson Gay, part of the American team that won the relay at last year's world championships, did not get the red metal stick from third-leg runner Darvis Patton. Gay never did feel that baton, never did get to run his anchor leg, never did get to even compete in a final at the Beijing Olympics, much less win a medal, let alone gold. Instead, the stick slammed to the wet track, a not-so-subtle symbol of American favorites' foibles at the Bird's Nest.

Then, about 25 minutes later, women's anchor Lauryn Williams flubbed her exchange with Torri Edwards, their baton dropping to the ground, too. At the 2004 Olympics, Ms. Williams started running too early and missed a hand-off from Marion Jones in the final.


(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Bolt strikes again, ligths up Bird's Nest with 200m WR

Usain Bolt of Jamaica has done it again! He rocked the Bird's Nest by winning the Men's 200m final at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 20, 2008, in a world record time of 19.30 seconds. He was 0.66 seconds faster than the silver medalist Shawn Crawford of United States.


(Photo credit: Nicolas Asfouri)


(Photo credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Usain Bolt did on land what Michael Phelps did in the water. The only difference is that Bolt has fewer events to dominate and fewer world records to smash.

"My name is Lightning Bolt," he said. "I won't compare myself to Michael Phelps. To win eight gold medals, that's great. I'm on the track and he's in the water. You can't compare the two."

This was the best ever birthday gift for himself as his birthday falls on August 22. The 22-year-old sprint sensation, became the first person to win both the 100 and 200 meter events in world-record breaking times.

He has one event left in these Beijing Olympics, the 4x100 relay on Friday night. The world record is 37.40 set by two U.S. teams, in 1992 and 1993. It will be really thrilling to watch whether his Jamaican team will be able to smash that record as well!

Vijender Kumar shines in the Olympics, secures India's first boxing medal

Vijender Kumar secures India's first boxing medal by defeating Carlos Gongora of Ecuador during the Men's 75 kg (Middleweight) Quarterfinal boxing match of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008. Vijender won on points by 9-4 and has secured a bronze medal for himself. Let's see if he is able to win a gold medal!


(Photo credit: AFP)

Vijender was mobbed, kissed and hugged by dozens of excited Indian journalists as he left the Workers Stadium arena after his historic victory. Two other Indian boxers, both also named Kumar, were eliminated in the last eight.

Vijender, the 22 year old son of a bus driver, working as a part-time model, said that he fought the bout of his life to reach the semi-finals. The pugilist is from Bhiwani and also works as a Police Inspector for the Haryana Police.

Vijender's coach, Jagdish Singh, runs his own club named Bhiwani Boxing Club. The six-footer, whose rise to stardom has been nothing short of phenomenal, took up boxing at 14 just to emulate his brother, who is now serving in the Indian army.

Vijender Kumar's Profile:
Born: 29 October 1985
Height: 182cm / 6'0"
Weight: 75 kg

Vijender's Quotes
"This is a great day for Indian boxing. We've been under a lot of pressure recently so one of us had to do it," Kumar said.

"This was the best fight of my life because I've achieved something for the country. I want to thank all the Indian people for praying for me."

Kumar comes from India's 'Village of Boxers' - Kalwash in the northern state of Haryana.

His father, who worked overtime on the buses to pay for his career, and his mother went on a special Hindu pilgrimage to the Ganges river before the Olympics.

Kumar said he had already realised his goal after finishing outside the medals at Athens 2004.

"I've been working hard from then on. Now my journey is complete," he said.

The Indian now faces a tough semi-final against Cuba's Emilio Correa, one of eight Cuban boxers to reach the medal rounds. He said he had a simple strategy for Friday's semi-final.

"Win, win and win," he said.

Kumar's medal was India's second bronze of the day after Sushil Kumar, not related to Vijender, managed the feat in the freestyle wrestling.

Buttree Puedpong wins Taekwondo silver for Thailand

Thai Taekwondo fighter Buttree Puedpong or "Nong Song", lost to the experienced Jingyu Wu of China to win a silver medal for Thailand in their women's 49 kg division Taekwondo final of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008.

Buttree, 18, a native of Samut Prakarn, is a 12th grade student and is the youngest of 2 siblings. She is a former world junior champion and also the SEA Games gold medalist.



What a thrilling match it was!

Nong Song secuers a Taekwondo medal for Thailand

Thai Taekwondo fighter Buttree Puedpong (Thai: บุตรี เผือดผ่อง) defeated Dalia Contreras Rivero of Venezuela during their women's 49 kg division Taekwondo semifinal round at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008. Buttree won by superiority after they drew 2-2 after 3 rounds.



Teenager Buttree or "Nong Song", 18, former world junior champion and also the SEA Games gold medalist, will face Jingyu Wu of China in the final for the gold medal. She will receive a cash price of 10 million Baht from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

Chutchawal Khawlaor defeats Jean Moloise Ogoudjobi in men's Taekwondo

Thai Taekwondo fighter Chutchawal Khawlaor defeated M A Jean Moloise Ogoudjobi of Benin during their men's 58 kg division Taekwondo prelims (Round of 16) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008. Chutchawal won by a final score of 4-2. He will face Ryan Carneli of Australia in the Quarterfinals today at around 3 pm Thailand time.


(Photo credit: Alessandro Bianchi/REUTERS)

Chutchawal Khawlaor's Profile:
Born: 17 January 1988
Height: 170cm / 5'7"
Weight: 55 kg / 121 lbs

Thai Taekwondo fighter Buttree Puedpong defeats Daynellis Montejo of Cuba

Thai Taekwondo fighter Buttree Puedpong defeated Daynellis Montejo of Cuba during their women's 49 kg division Taekwondo prelims (Round of 16) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008. Buttree won by a final score of 1-0. This was 17 year old Buttree's first ever Olympic appearance.


(Photo credit: Alessandro Bianchi/REUTERS)

Buttree Puedpong's Profile:
Born: 16 October 1990
Height: 157cm / 5'2"
Weight: 45 kg / 99 lbs

Thailand sent three fighters to Beijing who are expected to win at least one bronze. They include Chatchawal Khao-laor, Buttree Puedpong and Chonnapas Premwaew. The Thai taekwondo trio, underwent a month's training in Songnam, Korea, where the Korean martial art originated.

Stephanie Rice's favorite food - apart from rice

Sexy swimming sensation Stephanie Rice, the 20 year old Australian who won 3 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by smashing the world record in all three events, is all over the news these days. This makes her the best all-round female swimmer in the world! It was at the Beijing Games, that the beautiful and talented Stephanie Rice won her first-ever Olympic medal. She now joins the elite club of Betty Cuthbert, Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe in equaling the record haul for an Australian at a single Olympics.

Stephanie Rice looks stunning in the photo below, when she arrived for a promotional event to celebrate the end of the Olympic swimming program, in Beijing on August 17, 2008


(Photo credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Stephanie wore a pair of big green earrings and a smaller yellow earrings that matches her country Australia's colors while swimming at the Olympics. The earrings could not slow her down while she was busy breaking world records.

Her Beijing Olympics gold medal list includes:

1. Women's 400m Individual Medley - 4:29.45 (World Record)
2. Women's 200m Individual Medley - 2:08.45 (World Record)
3. Women's 4x200m Freestyle Relay - 7:44.31 (World Record)

Stephanie Rice's favorite food is Ice cream, the smoothly textured frozen dessert. Stephanie simply loves eating ice creams.



Stephanie started swimming since she was a baby and began competitive swimming when she was in grade 9. Apart from swimming, she also loves hockey and has played hockey for 7 years. When she finds free time away from training she likes to sleep, hangout with friends and dance.

Some interesting facts about Stephanie Rice:

• Stephanie was born on 17 June, 1988 in Brisbane, Queensland where she currently resides
• She is 176cm tall, and weighs 67 kg (148 lbs)
• Her favorite sportsperson is Lance Armstrong
• Her dream car is Maserati
• Her favorite holiday destination is Venice, Italy
• She has a tattoo and a few piercings
• She attended Clayfield College in her high school years in Brisbane, Queensland
• Her trainer is Michael Bohl from St Peters Western Swimming Club, Brisbane
• She was romantically involved with fellow Australian swimmer Eamon Sullivan, but ended her 2 year relationship in July 2008, just prior to the Beijing Olympics.
• She has featured on Time's list of '100 Olympic Athletes To Watch' at No. 17
• She has done an Australian exclusive shoot for FHM (For Him Magazine), an international monthly Men's Lifestyle magazine.

Libby Tricket's Olympic Menu - a Gold Medal Diet

Lisbeth Trickett's 4 medal haul at the Olympics, which includes 2 golds, a silver and a bronze is powered by a secret menu - Pecking Duck. A delicious crispy glazed roasted duck, that has been prepared since the Yuan Dynasty, and is now considered one of China's national foods, and also Beijing's most famous dish.




(Photo credit: AP)

AdelaideNow reports that Libby has been having the Chinese specialty for breakfast, lunch and dinner since checking into the Athlete's Village, as told by Libby's husband, Luke Trickett. Luke was poolside when Libby won her first individual Olympic gold. Luke, who was with Trickett's mother, Marilyn Lenton, to cheer for his wife of 16 months, said that words couldn't begin to describe how proud he was of her success.

"I find it a bit difficult to believe personally - but Libby's like that when she gets obsessive about something", said Luke.

Manus Boonjumnong beats World Champion Serik Sapiyev in 64kg boxing quaterfinals

Thai boxer Manus Boonjumnong (Thai: มนัส บุญจำนงค์) defeats World Champion Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan during the men's Light Welterweight (64 kg) Quarterfinal boxing bout of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on August 17, 2008. The experienced Manus proved smarter and more accurate to win on a 7-5 decision. Manus was so exhausted that he threw himself onto the floor in the ring after the fight was over.


(Photo credit: AFP/Getty)

Manus' Profile:
Born: 23 June 1980
Height: 173cm / 5'8"
Weight: 64 kg / 141 lbs

A showman famous for holding his arms down and constantly teasing his opponent, he kept his hands up this time, held his nerve and skilfully counter-punched. His victory guarantees him at least a bronze medal in the Olympic competition. He will be the first Thai boxer to ever win medals in two consecutive Olympic Games. He had won the gold in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Manus, famous at home for his playboy antics rose to fame after Athens when, according to media reports, he squandered $600,000 worth of bonuses on women, gambling and drinking, prompting his pregnant wife to leave him. After taking a break from the sport, he returned to the ring to win gold at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, but made an early exit from last year's world championships in Chicago. He plans to turn into a professional boxer after the Olympics.


(Photo credit: AP)

Serik had won the World Championships in 2005 and 2007 in the Light Welterweight category. According to the bookies, Manus is second ranked in the light-welterweight division with Serik, the favorite. With this victory Manus has good chances of winning the gold. Manus will be in action against Cuban Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo for the semifinal on August 22, 2008, at around 1:30 pm Bangkok time.

Manus performs the Thai wai after his victory in the photo below


(Photo credit: AP)

Oussama Mellouli beats Grant Hackett to win men's 1500m Freestyle Olympic gold

Australian Grant Hackett's dream for a record third consecutive Olympic title in the Men's 1500 meter Freestyle was shattered as Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia proved faster than the Australian, at the National Aquatics Center, today.


(Photo credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Mellouli's time for the gold medal of 14:40.84 was an African record.

Against the expectations of many, he stuck with the two fastest qualifiers, Hackett and Canadian Ryan Cochrane, throughout the race and began to pull away with 200m left.

The lead three swimmers Hackett, Cochrane and Mellouli were never near to threatening the world record at any stage of the race with Cochrane turning in first place, at the 800m mark, in 7:51.06.


(Phot credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

It was at the 1100m mark that Mellouli made his move on the leader Hackett. He increased the pace to see if the Australian veteran and world record holder could go with him but Hackett couldn't catch up. From then on on Mellouli pulled away and swam the last 50m in a 28.45 split to ensure Hackett couldn't mount a comeback.

Hackett tried hard to close the gap in the last 100m with a last 50m split of 27.9 but it was not enough and he had to settle for the silver medal in 14:41.53.

Hackett's recent form suggested he could have been able to respond to the challenge from Mellouli but he was unable go with the Tunisian when it was needed.

Cochrane qualified second-fastest for the final in an Americas record 14:40.84 and was with the leaders throughout the race, finishing with the bronze medal in 14:42.69.

Yuriy Prilukov of Russia, who qualified third for the final in a European record 14:41.13, finished fourth.

Australia wins women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay gold, smashes WR

The final of the women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was held in the Water Cube, today, and the Australian team won the gold medal in a new world record time of 3:52.69, smashing their previous world mark of 3:55.74 set up on March 31, 2007.


(Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Australian quartet of Emily Seebohm, Leisel Jones, Lisbeth Trickett and Jessicah Schipper comfortably took the glory.

The USA took silver in 3:53.30, with China fending off the British challenge for bronze in 3:56.11.



(Photo by credit: Bello/Getty Images)

Britta Steffen beats Dara Torres by 0.01 to win women's 50m Freestyle gold

Britta Steffen of Germany sealed the sought-after Freestyle sprint double as she took gold in the Women's 50m Freestyle in an Olympic record of 24.06 seconds at the National Aquatics Center today, adding to the 100m Freestyle gold she won on Friday.


(Photo credit: Ding Xu/Xinhua)

Britta Steffen, who qualified third fastest for the final in 24.43, was not the quickest off the blocks but recovered to overtake Dara Torres and finish first. Steffen touched the wall 0.01 second ahead of Dara Torres.

Dara Torres of the United States, the 41-year-old mother of one, was out to show her competitors that her age is no barrier in the splash and dash. She clocked the fastest time into the final and recorded the second fastest reaction time but could only manage the silver medal behind Steffen. Torres also set an Americas record of 24.07.


(Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Sixteen-year-old Australian schoolgirl Cate Campbell, who was not born when Torres made her third Olympic team at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, clocked an encouraging 24.17 to finish with a bronze medal.


(Photo credit: Al Bello/Getty Images)

World record holder Lisbeth Trickett (Libby Lenton) of Australia had the quickest reaction time off the blocks but did not feature in the medals, finishing fourth in a time of 24.25.

Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands, another of the pre-race favorites, finished in fifth place at 24.26.