 Thai women seek repeat
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-07 10:22 The Thai women won two gold medals in Athens, but both of their gold medalists, Udomporn Polsak in the 48kg and Pawina Thongsuk in the 69kg, have retired. "We did very well in the previous Olympics so people expect us to do well this time," said Thai weightlifting coach Bussaba Yodbangtoey Thailand's talented Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon hopes to become the heir to her country's weightlifting fortune as she goes for gold in Beijing. Prapawadee has had a stellar career so far, winning three gold medals at the World University Weightlifting Championships in Izmir, Turkey, in 2005 before clinching a silver medal at the Doha Asian Games. She also turned in a stunning performance in the 53kg division at the national championships last May. There, the 24-year-old from Nakhon Sawan bettered the world record of China's Li Ping in the clean and jerk with a lift of 130kg. Prapawadee also beat the world overall record of 226kg set by China's Qiu Hongxia with a mark of 227kg. She recently bettered that record with a total of 235kg, according to the Daily Xpress. While she may be the favorite, however, Prapawadee will face stiff competition in Beijing. At last year's Royal World Weightlifting Championships in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai, Prapawadee and Li each snatched 93kg in the 53kg event. But Prapawadee sustained a severe injury in the clean and jerk, and left the venue on a stretcher. She did not train for more than three months. "I have heard a lot about Prapawadee's tireless dedication in training. I think she stands a 50 percent chance of winning gold," said Udomporn Polsak, who won the country's first-ever Olympic weightlifting gold in Athens. "To increase her chances, she must keep her emotions in check. She should work on her concentration in order to overcome the pressure while lifting. If she can do that, the gold is within her reach," she added. Nastassia Novikava of Belarus, silver medallist at last year's world championship, Hong Kong's Yu Weili, bronze winner in the meet, Lisa Rumbe-was of Indonesia, silver medalist in the 2006 world meet, and Kazakhstan's Svetlana Cheremshanova will all challenge Prapawadee, she said. (China Daily 08/07/2008 page7) |
