Cover After winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Thai badminton singles star Kunlavut Vitidsarn now ranks fourth in the world (Photo: Liu Nan/VCG via Getty Images)
After winning silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Thai badminton singles star Kunlavut Vitidsarn now ranks fourth in the world (Photo: Liu Nan/VCG via Getty Images)
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Thai badminton champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn lost to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen on August 5 in the men’s singles final
Thailand badminton champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn takes home the silver medal for the men’s singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He lost 21-11, 21-11 in the final match to defending champion Viktor Axelson from Denmark.
Vitidsarn’s silver was Thailand’s first-ever Olympic medal in badminton.
It will earn him more than 11 million baht (US$310,000) in rewards from sports agencies, said Badminton Association of Thailand president Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul.
On August 4, Vitidsarn defeated Malaysia’s Lee Jii Zia 21-14, 21-15 in the men’s singles semi-final to secure his position in the final match against Axelson.
Read more: Paris 2024: Lee Zii Jia takes on India’s Lakshya Sen, bags bronze for Malaysia
For Axelson, this was the first time a male singles player had retained his Olympic title since China’s Li Dan, who won in 2008 and 2012.
Above From left: Silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand, gold medalist Viktor Axelsen from Denmark and bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia from Malaysia pose for photos during the victory ceremony after the badminton men’s singles final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 5 (Photo: Liu Nan/VCG via Getty Images)
From left: Silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn from Thailand, gold medalist Viktor Axelsen from Denmark and bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia from Malaysia pose for photos during the victory ceremony after the badminton men’s singles final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 5 (Photo: Liu Nan/VCG via Getty Images)
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With his Olympic performance, Vitidsarn is now ranked fourth in the world, according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF)—up four spots from before August 5.
In August 2023, he reached a peak of no. 3 in the world ranking. That same month, Vitidsarn defeated Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the finals at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships to become the first Thai player to be crowned men’s singles world champion.
Between 2017 and 2019, Vitidsarn won three World Junior Championship titles—the first male singles player to achieve this.
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Chong Seow Wei is a regional senior editor covering business, innovation, impact and people. Based in Singapore, she oversees content for Gen.T, Tatler’s platform for promising entrepreneurs and new-generation leaders, and its Power & Purpose vertical.
