"Kasetsart University Professors, Students, and Alumni, including Chatchai Choi, Olympic Taekwondo Coach, Participate in Paris 2024 Olympic Games"
Chatchai Choi, Instructors of Department of Sport and Health Science, Kasetsart University and coach of Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion Panipak Wongpattanakit from Thailand, spoke about his special relationship with the 49-kg fighter and his innovative training methods that include mental resilience strategies.
Panipak, the first Thai Olympic taekwondo champion, met Dr. Chatchai Choi when she was 13 years old. Choi, formerly known as Choi Young Seok, recently acquired Thai citizenship after naturalizing from South Korea.
“Since 2002, in preparation for the Busan Asian Games, I have served as the head coach of the Thai national taekwondo team. Thailand, the homeland of Muay Thai, was determined to cultivate a national taekwondo presence, leading to my invitation,” he shared in an exclusive interview.
His appointment marked the first instance of a Korean, and indeed any foreigner, taking on this role. Two years later, he led the Thai national team to its first Olympic medal with Yaowapa Boorapolchai earning bronze in the 49kg weight category at Athens 2004.
Ultimately, his special bond with Panipak ushered in a new era of Thai taekwondo, culminating in the country’s first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021. Choi is now planning to guide Panipak to maintain her unbeatable form even after triumphing at the world’s biggest sports event.
Reference : https://olympics.com/en/news/panipak-wongpattanakit-coach-chatchai-choi-training-taekwondo
Thank you for the image of the Paris 2024 Olympic logo. : https://press.paris2024.org/
Reported by : Chiraphassakorn Sripinpao and Team KUSHS News.
Ref.Image : https://www.facebook.com/tkdthailand
