Thailand athletes collect three bronzes

Written by Admin on Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Thailand athletes collect three bronzes

KITTIPONG THONGSOMBAT

Thailand won three bronzes yesterday pushing their medals tally to four at the 13th Paralympic Games in Beijing. Two of the medals were won in powerlifting and the other in the men’s athletics 200m race.

Narong Kasanun finished third in the men’s 52kg powerlifting. He and Osama Elserngawy of Egypt both lifted 167.5kg but the Egyptian’s body weight was lighter _ 49.55kg to the Thai’s 50.56kg. The gold went to Wu Guojing of China (175kg).

Despite missing out on silver, Narong was happy with his performance as his previous best was just 165kg.

”I did not expect to win any medal because I had never lifted more than 165kg,” said the 30-year-old from Satun.

Thailand’s lifter Samkhoun Anon, right, celebrates her bronze in the women’s 52kg event Amalia Perez, centre, of Mexico took the gold and Russia’s Mamara Podpalnaya won the silver medal.

In the women’s 52kg event, Samkhoun Anon lifted 95kg. Amalia Perez of Mexico clinched gold (127.5kg) and Russia’s Mamara Podpalnaya took silver (125kg).

Samkhoun, of Chaiyaphum, said that she was very happy with the result because she really wanted to win a medal for her mother who lived alone in Chaiyaphum.

In athletics, Peth Pungsri came in third place in the men’s 200m in 32.07 sec.

The gold medal went to Dean Bergeron of Canada (30.81 seconds) and the silver was won by Beat Bosch of Switzerland (31.41 seconds).

Thailand won the silver in the men’s 4×100m wheelchair relay for the country’s first medal in Beijing on Tuesday.