Panipak ‘Tennis’ Wongpattanakit has secured back-to-back gold medals in the Asian Games defeating China’s Guo Qing in the women’s 49kg taekwondo championship match, packed with drama.
Yesterday, Panipak reclaimed her championship by defeating Guo, the host athlete with a score of 12-6 in the third round, taking the gold medal for the second consecutive time.
Defending the championship this time was particularly challenging, especially in the third round. While Guo took a 6-0 lead, Panipak encountered difficulties with her armor, and Gau’s score reached 23-0 before Thailand protested and Panipak changed her armor, ultimately coming back to win successfully within 1 minute and 8 seconds. In the end, Tennis showed her form by scoring points with four head kicks.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the Finance Minister expressed their immense joy and congratulations to Panipak for winning Thailand’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
He commended the dedication and hard work of both the athlete and the coach. Importantly, ‘Tennis’ remains the first Thai national taekwondo athlete to win back-to-back gold medals at the Asian Games and the sixth taekwondo athlete in Asian Games history to achieve this feat. (TNA)
