With his fame, talent and Chinese looks, the country's top badminton player would be quite a catch for the girls, but we hardly ever see his name in the local gossip columns.

"You guys just don't follow up," the man known as "Super Man" grinned when asked why not much is ever heard about his private life. Unlike local Casanovas Paradorn "Super Ball" Srichaphan and Teeratep "Leesaw" Winothai, Boonsak is not a party animal. Hanging out in pubs and drinking has never been on his itinerary. Instead, the well-behaved player normally spends his leisure time doing simple things like strolling through shopping centres or going to the cinema. He is the kind of son that a mother will always be proud of. - The Nation.

Stunning debut by 10-year-old

What would you say if you were a former national team runner and expected to win a 21-kilometre half-marathon, but suffered a humiliating loss to a 10-year-old girl running her first race? That's what happened to former Thai star Saipin Padchun at the Mae Moh half-marathon last Sunday.

The experienced Saipin, who represented Thailand for several years at major competitions including the 2005 Sea Games in Vietnam, was tipped to win the Mae Moh half-marathon in Lampang last Sunday. But she didn't expect a challenge from Ketwadee Pujira, 10, a small girl from Kanchanaburi who was running her first mini-marathon. The youngster defied all the odds and put the course pace-setter in the shade. The 10-year-old from Sookhum Elementary School caught Saipin three kilometres before the finish line and stormed on to cross the line in front of the former national team runner. A tired Saipin failed to finishing in the top three.

"It's okay. I had fun with the run," said Saipin. "It's not a surprise that the girl beat me. I already did it when I was 10." However, when asked to say when and where she won as a 10-year-old, Saipin just walked away. - The Nation.