Chonburi officials congratulated the family of native daughter Sukanya Srisurat after she won Thailand’s second gold medal in weightlifting at the Rio Olympics.
Sricracha District Chief Wornyan Boonarat, district Red Cross members and members of the Sport Association of Chonburi called on Sukanya’s family Aug. 9, a day after she lifted a combined 240 kilograms to win the gold medal in the women’s 58kg bracket.
The 21-year-old set an Olympic record in the snatch with 110kg, before lifting 130kg in the clean and jerk. Pimsiri Sirikaew took the silver medal in the same event, the first time Thai athletes have finished 1-2 in an Olympic event.
Srisurat gave Thailand its second gold medal in women’s weightlifting. Sopita Tanasan opened the Games with a gold in the 48kg class.
Chonburi native Sukanya was born on May 3, 1996 and first competed in 2009 before being added to the national team in 2010. A black cloud was cast over her weightlifting career when she was banned for two years in May 2011 after testing positive for the outlawed anabolic steroid methandienone.
In 2013, Sukanya returned to the sport at the Asian Championships in North Korea where she won three silver medals. She took gold at the 27th Sea Games in Myanmar that year.
In 2014, she won two more gold medals at a Russian competition and two at a Polish tourney. She has also collected numerous medals in domestic competitions.
