Thai table tennis players have a chance to win the country's first gold medals of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Sunday.
Men's doubles players Rungroj Thainiyom and Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri and mixed doubles pair Yuttajak Glinbancheun and Wichitra Jaion booked their berths in the finals of the men's doubles MD14 event and the mixed doubles XD7 event respectively.
Rungroj and Phisit defeated Britain's Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-7) in the semi-finals on Saturday.
They will play China's Liao Keli and Yan Shuo in the final on Sunday in a rematch of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games gold medal contest last year won by the Thai pair.
Rungroj and Phisit defeated another China team of Huang Jiaxin and Peng Weinan 3-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6) in the quarter-finals on Friday.
In the mixed doubles semi-finals yesterday, Yuttajak and Wichitra combined to beat China's Zhai Xiang and Gu Xiaodan 3-1 (11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7) to advance to the final.
They will face China's Feng Panfeng and Zhou Ying in the gold medal match.
The Thais defeated Germany's Thomas Bruechle and Sandra Mikolaschek 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7) in the quarter-finals on Friday.
A host of bronze medals
Yuttajak got his first medal of the Games on Friday.
Playing with Wanchai Chaiwut in the men's doubles MD8 semi-finals, the duo lost to China's Cao Ningning and Feng 2-3 (11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11).
Taekwondo athlete Khwansuda Phuangkitcha won the nation's first medal of the Games when she grabbed bronze in the women's K44 47kg category on Thursday.
Table tennis players Dararat Asayut and Chilchitparyak Bootwansirina also took bronze in the women's doubles WD5 event.
'Lightning strikes three times'
The world's fastest Paralympian Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos said "lightning has struck for the third time" after he sprinted to his third Paralympic gold medal in the men's T47 100m on Friday.
Double defending champion Ferreira, who lost his left arm below the elbow aged two after an accident with a grinding machine, won in a photo finish in cold and wet conditions at the Stade de France.
He clocked a season-best 10.68sec, seven hundredths of a second ahead of silver medallist Korban Best of the USA, with Morocco's Aymane El Haddaoui a further 0.03sec behind in third.
"I'm happy, lightning has struck for the third time at the Paralympic Games and I'm coming home with another medal," Ferreira said.
"That's three golds now at the Paralympics. It's an emotion that's hard to describe."
The 27-year-old Brazilian won gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and smashed the para-world record in 2022 when he posted a time of 10.29sec. bangkok post/afp
Men's doubles players Rungroj Thainiyom and Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri and mixed doubles pair Yuttajak Glinbancheun and Wichitra Jaion booked their berths in the finals of the men's doubles MD14 event and the mixed doubles XD7 event respectively.
Rungroj and Phisit defeated Britain's Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-7) in the semi-finals on Saturday.
They will play China's Liao Keli and Yan Shuo in the final on Sunday in a rematch of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games gold medal contest last year won by the Thai pair.
Rungroj and Phisit defeated another China team of Huang Jiaxin and Peng Weinan 3-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6) in the quarter-finals on Friday.
In the mixed doubles semi-finals yesterday, Yuttajak and Wichitra combined to beat China's Zhai Xiang and Gu Xiaodan 3-1 (11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7) to advance to the final.
They will face China's Feng Panfeng and Zhou Ying in the gold medal match.
The Thais defeated Germany's Thomas Bruechle and Sandra Mikolaschek 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7) in the quarter-finals on Friday.
A host of bronze medals
Yuttajak got his first medal of the Games on Friday.
Playing with Wanchai Chaiwut in the men's doubles MD8 semi-finals, the duo lost to China's Cao Ningning and Feng 2-3 (11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11).
Taekwondo athlete Khwansuda Phuangkitcha won the nation's first medal of the Games when she grabbed bronze in the women's K44 47kg category on Thursday.
Table tennis players Dararat Asayut and Chilchitparyak Bootwansirina also took bronze in the women's doubles WD5 event.
'Lightning strikes three times'
The world's fastest Paralympian Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos said "lightning has struck for the third time" after he sprinted to his third Paralympic gold medal in the men's T47 100m on Friday.
Double defending champion Ferreira, who lost his left arm below the elbow aged two after an accident with a grinding machine, won in a photo finish in cold and wet conditions at the Stade de France.
He clocked a season-best 10.68sec, seven hundredths of a second ahead of silver medallist Korban Best of the USA, with Morocco's Aymane El Haddaoui a further 0.03sec behind in third.
"I'm happy, lightning has struck for the third time at the Paralympic Games and I'm coming home with another medal," Ferreira said.
"That's three golds now at the Paralympics. It's an emotion that's hard to describe."
The 27-year-old Brazilian won gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and smashed the para-world record in 2022 when he posted a time of 10.29sec. bangkok post/afp
