The Olympic Games is at its midpoint mark and there have been many medals snapped up by the amazingly gifted athletes.
On 24 July, Panipak Wongpattanakit, 23 from Thailand went up against Spain’s Adriana Cerezo Iglesias for the women’s taekwondo in the 49kg category. In the last few seconds, Panipak was one point behind with a score of 9-10. Her last two shots gave her two points and she won with 11-10, reported Bangkok Post.
Panipak was given a hero’s welcome when she arrived at the Phuket airport. Her father, Sirichai was there waiting for her.
When Panipak saw her father, she immediately took her gold medal, clasped it in her hands and knelt down by his feet. While still in a kneeling position, she presented her medal to her father who accepted it with both hands. He then put the medal on his neck and held both fists up which led spectators to cheer.
When Panipak stood up, her father returned the medal to its rightful owner.
Watch the emotional moment here.
She told the Bangkok Post,
“I am very happy to see so many people here giving us a warm welcome back to Thailand.”
After her win, she was showered with a total of 19 million baht (RM2,444,466), 12 million baht (RM1,543,873) from the National Sports Development Fund and 7 million baht (RM900,592) from private agencies, according to The Nation.
That was certainly an emotional scene. We hope to see Panipak again for the Paris 2024 Olympics!
Also read: “Thank you Malaysia!” Filipina Weightlifter Who Trained in Melaka Wins First Gold For Philippines
