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Published on December 31, 2007

World Champs

It was a golden year for Thai athletes at the world level.

They not only fulfilled their dreams of reaching the top, but also brought fame and glory to the Kingdom, especially when Thai people from all walks of life celebrated His Majesty the King's 80th birthday.

Cueist Attasit Mahitthi, known as Big Saraburi in local snooker circles, landed the World Amateur Snooker Championships at Nakhon Ratchasima in November, while pint-sized Samson Sor Siriporn or Siriporn Thaveesuk, a former convicted drug dealer, beat Japanese Ayaka Miyano to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) women's light-flyweight division in April.

Young sailor Keerati Bualang in the same month made big waves after claiming the Byte World Championships in Pattaya.

The 14-year-old onboard Byte, a single-handed racing sailboat, raced to victory and wrote his name in the history books as the youngest Thai to win a world title.

Brilliant Golfers

Thai golfers made their mark on the international arena in 2007. But this year it was the time for Phitsanulok-born Chapchai Nirat to steal the limelight from seniors like Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant.

The 24-year-old claimed his maiden Asian Tour title after success at the US$1 million TCL Classic at the Yalong Bay Golf and Country Club in Sanya, China in March.

He enjoyed a three-stroke triumph over Argentinean Rafael Echenique, becoming the third Thai player to win a co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour event after Thongchai and Thaworn.

Chapchai concluded the year with his second trophy in the $500,000 Hana Bank Vietnam Masters at the Hanoi Phoenix Golf Resort in November.

He finished second on the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit with a total prize money of $442,325 behind Liang Wen-chong of China. The other two Thais to hoist the Asian Tour trophies this year were Thaworn and Prayad Marksaeng.  Thaworn, despite a roller-coaster season, won the $400,000 Midea China Classic at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club in Guangzhou in September.

Prayad ended 2007 on a high, staging a splendid performance to win the season-ending $750,000 Volvo Masters of Asia at the Thai Country Club in December.  In the same month, the Thai golf team scooped all four gold medals (men's and women's individuals and teams) in the SEA Games for the first time in history.

Tennis Soars

With Paradorn Srichaphan gradually slipping down the rankings due to a wrist injury, Danai Udomchoke and the Ratiwatana twins came to the rescue of Thai tennis.

Danai enjoyed his best season, peaking at 77th in the world in January following his third-round performance at the Australian Open, which marked his best run in a Grand Slam tournament.

He upset former world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round before going down to Serbian world No 3 Novak Djokovic in the next round.

Danai also took the whole country by storm with his astonishing win at the Bangkok Universiade for a historic singles gold medal. He also snapped the reign of Paradorn as the country's No 1 player.

Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana made doubles tennis popular in the country

after their spectacular run at the ATP Thailand Open.

The tournament was hit by a series of withdrawals by big names but the siblings attracted audiences to the stadium as they went on to grab their first ever ATP trophy, becoming the first Thai pair ever to win a professional doubles title.

They stunned the highly experienced Michael Llorda and Nicolas Mahut of France in the final, sending a message to fans that there was more to Thai tennis than just its singles stars.

The twins also claimed four Challenger titles and gold medals at the Universiade and recent

SEA Games, which was their third-straight victory in the regional sporting event.

Worth A Visit

A host of prominent sports personalities visited the country in 2007. They came for various purposes but left with the same happy memories of "the Land of Smiles".

The first to land in the Kingdom was the three-time Fifa World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, who temporarily emerged out of retirement to take part in a charity match in Chiang Mai in February.

Zidane mania gripped the northern province and the fame of the player drew a large number of fans, not only local but also expatriate.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid star wowed the crowd with his tricks on the field and even managed to score a brilliant goal.

Then it was the turn of golf and tennis enthusiasts to get up close with their big stars when Vijay Singh and Venus Williams dropped by in October.

Fijian golfer Singh took the opportunity to visit Luang Phor Singha, the abbot of Wat Pai Lueng, who is believed to have helped him with his concentration a few years ago.

Tennis star Venus is a frequent visitor and has made no secret of her affection for the Kingdom, having been impressed by the hospitality and natural beauty. However, Venus suffered disappointment on court at the PTT Bangkok Open, losing to unfancied Flavia Penetta of Italy in the semi-final.

The most publicised visit was Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson's trip to snap up three national players, Suree Sukha, Teerasil Daengda and Kiatprawut Saiweao, in November.

 A large contingent of journalists was at the airport to cover the arrival of the Swedish coach. Observers suggested that the City, owned by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, signed the three Thais with an eye on the post-coup election. It seemed there was no moment when the former England manager could escape media interest during his brief stay in the capital.

Awesome Foursomes

Record-shattering attempts by home sprinters were the highlight of the recent South East Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima.

More than 7,000 spectators witnessed Sangwan Jaksunin, Supavadee Khawpueak, Orranut Klomdee and Nongnuch Sanrat storm home to win the women's 4x100m relay in a record time of 44 seconds and stretch their winning streak to 13.

The men's quartet of Wachara Sondee, Siriroj Darasuriyong, Sompote Suwannarangsri and Sittichai Suwonprateep

also won the gold in a record-smashing 38.95secs for their 11th consecutive victory at the SEA Games.

As the women's foursome made it three in a row in the Asian Championships, the men sprinters cornered glory at  the Thammasat Rangsit Main Stadium during the Bangkok Universiade capturing the first-ever gold in athletics, thanks largely to the superb form of Sittichai, Pirom Autas, Wachara and Sompote.

Huge Success

Home athletes dominated the 24th SEA Games at Nakhon Ratchasima to capture the overall crown with a remarkable haul of 183 gold, 123 silver and 103 bronze medals.

It was an unprecedented success for Thailand at the biennial sports extravaganza, which saw a total of 475 gold on offer in 45 sporting disciplines including two demonstration sports - Go and Kempo.

The significant margin of victory not only surpassed their initial target of 150 gold, but also bettered their performance in the 1995 edition at Chiang Mai, the first-ever Games to be held in a non-capital city, besides being their 10th top-finish at the SEA Games.

At Chiang Mai, the hosts won 157 gold. At Nakhon Ratchasima, Thai athletes dominated track and field, boxing, shooting, sailing and windsurfing, sepak takraw, dance sport and taekwondo.

However, the soccer gold was the crowning success. Thailand's scintillating 2-0 victory over Burma stretched their wins at the Games to eight in a row.  The women's team overpowered title-holders Vietnam to stamp their authority for the first time.

They also made a clean sweep of both gold on offer in the futsal competition.