Rapatkorn Prasopsuk kicks Russian Maria Konyakhina in the quarter-finals of the heavyweight event.

Brilliant Rapatkorn Prasopsuk wrote a new chapter in Thai taekwondo history yesterday when she became the first Thai to capture a gold medal in the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Champion-ships.

Rapatkorn, a 19-year-old from Nakhon Pathom, has had a remarkable run in her fledgling career. She stunned Athens Olympic gold medallist Luo Wai of China to capture the women's heavyweight gold in the Asian Championships.

She also clinched a bronze medal at the World University Taekwondo Championships in Valencia, Spain, last year.

In fact, the bronze in the SEA Games in the Philippines last year was the start of her exploits.

Yesterday against the in-form Jang Jung Yoon of Korea, the Thai went for broke while her rival used some excellent tactics to foil Rapatkorn's attempts. At the end of three rounds, the score was tied at 2-2. The Thai exponent silenced the Korean fans with a powerful kick to win a sudden-death decision.

She jumped for joy and celebrated with her coach Choi Young Suek.

She then wrapped herself in a national flag and ran around the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.

Many years ago, Voravimol Puangpee claimed a bronze for the country in the championships in Japan and Rapatkorn's splendid effort helped break the long drought.

"I'm glad to win the first gold for the country. Before the competition, I was nervous. I became very excited when I looked at the 2-2 score. Choi told me that it is now or never.

"I can't let it slip through my fingers and that I must go for it. I thought I shouldn't lose at home. The credit for my success should go to my coach," said Rapatkorn, who will get Bt1 million from the National Sports Development Fund.

Meanwhile, Norway's Nina Solheim captured the tournament's first gold after surviving a sturdy challenge from Sun Young Jung of South Korea 2-1.

It was a bitter loss for Sun, who took the bronze medal at both the World Championships in Spain and the World University Games in Izmir last year.

Before going up against Solheim, Sun in the first round overpowered the much taller Chinese Luo Wei, a gold medallist at the Athens Olympics who claimed a consolation silver at the Asian meet recently.

Greek Niki Athanasopoulou and Spaniard Aitziber Los Arcos shared the bronze medal.

Korean Bae Yun Nam, however, made amends for Sun's loss. The gold winner at the last year's World University Games and also at the Asian meet proved a cut above Greek Roidis Stergios, beating him 2-1 to claim the men's heavyweight title. German Volker Wodzich and France's Michael Borot took home the consolation bronze medal.

In the men's middleweight event, spirited Italian Mauro Sarmiento, restricted by a

right-knee injury caused in a tough battle against France's John Trouillet in the semi-finals

earlier, did everything to match the might of Iranian Mehdi Bibak Asi.

However, the experienced Sarmiento, gold winner at last year's World University Championships in Valencia and silver medallist at the World University Games in Izmir, could not sustain it for long and lost 3-0 to the Iranian.

The bronze medal went to the Netherland's Patrick Stevens and Trouillet. In today's action, Patiwat Thongsalab, who made history last year to win the gold medal in the World University Games, will have a fight on his hands in the men's lightweight, Watcharaporn Dongnoi will appear in the women's lightweight and Dam Srichan fights in the men's welterweight.

Preechachan Wiriyanupappong

The Nation