The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Thailand

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This page contains a list of the greatest Thai Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 7 of which were born in Thailand. This makes Thailand the birth place of the 66th most number of Athletes behind North Korea, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Thai Athletes of all time. This list of famous Thai Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Thai Athletes.

Photo of Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon

1. Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 33.14, Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon is the most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages on wikipedia.

Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon (Thai: ประภาวดี เจริญรัตนธารากูล; RTGS: Praphawadi Charoenrattanatharakun) (born Junpim Kuntatean, Thai: จันทร์พิมพ์ กันทะเตียน; RTGS: Chanphim Kanthatian, also transliterated Chanpim Kantatian May 29, 1984) is a weightlifter from Thailand. At the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships she won the silver medal in the 53 kg category, lifting a total of 223 kg (491.6 lbs). At the 2006 University World Championships she won the gold medal in the 53 kg category. During the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships she suffered an elbow injury, and had to rest for three months. She won the women's 53 kg class at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. She changed her name in 2007 on the advice of a fortune teller who said it would improve her chances of winning the Olympics. Her name was so long that it was listed as "J" on the digital scoreboard during the Beijing Games.

Photo of Wiradech Kothny

2. Wiradech Kothny (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 29.33, Wiradech Kothny is the 2nd most famous Thai Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Wiradech Kothny (Thai: วีระเดช โค๊ธนี, born 10 May 1979) is a Thai former fencer. He won bronze medals in the individual and team sabre events at the 2000 Summer Olympics, competing for Germany. He then competed for Thailand at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.

Photo of Kaeo Pongprayoon

3. Kaeo Pongprayoon (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 26.52, Kaeo Pongprayoon is the 3rd most famous Thai Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thai: แก้ว พงษ์ประยูร, RTGS: Kaeo Phongprayun, pronounced [kɛ̂ːw pʰōŋ.prā.jūːn]; born 28 March 1980 in Kamphaeng Phet) is a Thai amateur boxer who won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Pongprayoon won the 2009 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships and the 2009 Southeast Asian Games and 2011 at light flyweight. At the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships he lost his third fight to José Kelvin de la Nieve. At the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships he beat two opponents, then lost 8:14 to Zou Shiming. At the 2012 Summer Olympics (results) he won his first fight against Algerian Mohamed Flissi 19:11, then defeated Ecuador's Carlos Quipo and Bulgarian Aleksandar Aleksandrov. He reached the final by edging out Russian David Ayrapetyan 13:12. He controversially lost the final to Zou Shiming 10:13.

Photo of Worapoj Petchkoom

4. Worapoj Petchkoom (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 26.45, Worapoj Petchkoom is the 4th most famous Thai Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Worapoj Petchkoom (Thai: วรพจน์ เพชรขุ้ม; RTGS: Woraphot Phetkhum; born May 18, 1981) is a Thai boxer who competed in the bantamweight (54 kg) at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal, after losing in the final to Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux. He had qualified for the Athens Games by topping the 2nd AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Karachi, Pakistan. In the final, he defeated India's Diwakar Prasad.

Photo of Sukanya Srisurat

5. Sukanya Srisurat (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 24.23, Sukanya Srisurat is the 5th most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Sukanya Srisurat (Thai: สุกัญญา ศรีสุราช; RTGS: Sukanya Sisurat; born 3 May 1995) is a Thai weightlifter competing in the 58 kg category and representing Thailand at international competitions. She competed at world championships, including at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships. She was sanctioned for using the doping Methandienone. In January 2019 she was issued a four-year doping ban until January 2023 after testing positive for 5a- androstane-3a, 17 bdiol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a, 17 b-diol (5bAdiol).

Photo of Chanatip Sonkham

6. Chanatip Sonkham (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 22.64, Chanatip Sonkham is the 6th most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Chanatip Sonkham or Chanapa Sonkham (Thai: ชนาธิป ซ้อนขำ; RTGS: Chanathip Sonkham; born 1 March 1991) is a Thai taekwondo practitioner who was the bronze medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the under 49 kg weight class. Sonkham also won bronze medals at the 2010 Asian Games and at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in 2010 and 2012. She won the gold medal at the 2013 World Championship.

Photo of Sopita Tanasan

7. Sopita Tanasan (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 22.44, Sopita Tanasan is the 7th most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Sanikun Tanasan (Thai: ศนิกุล ธนสาร; RTGS: Sanikun Thanasan; born 23 December 1994) (born Sopita Tanasan, Thai: โสภิตา ธนสาร; RTGS: Sophita Thanasan) is a Thai weighlifter. She competed at the 2013 World Championships in the Women's 53 kg, winning the bronze medal. In 2016 Olympics, she competed at the 48 kg weight class and won gold. In January 2019 she was issued a two-year doping ban until January 2021 after testing positive for 5a-androstane-3a, 17-bdiol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a, 17 b-diol (5bAdiol).

Photo of Yaowapa Boorapolchai

8. Yaowapa Boorapolchai (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 22.35, Yaowapa Boorapolchai is the 8th most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Yaowapa Boorapolchai (Thai: เยาวภา บุรพลชัย; RTGS: Yaowapha Buraphonchai; born September 6, 1984, at Bangkok) is a Thai taekwondo athlete who was the bronze medalist in the women's under 49 kg event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She graduated Bachelor of Arts historical major from Thammasat University. She started competing in 2002. In the first round of the Women's Under 49 kg event she defeated Brigitte Yague of Spain, and in the quarterfinal was defeated by Yanelis Yuliet Labrada Diaz of Cuba. She defeated Ivett Gonda of Canada and Gladys Alicia Mora Romero of Colombia in the repechage tournament to win the bronze and become the first Thai Olympic medalist outside of boxing and weightlifting. She won a bronze medal in the Universiade, World Taekwondo Championships, and World Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament in 2003, and a gold in the South East Asian Games in the same year. Many Thais claim that Yaowapa, one of the most popular athletes among Thais, has frequently been victimized by wayward officiating. Besides her loss to Diaz in Athens, she also lost to Lim Su-Jeong, a Korean exponent, in a gold-medal match at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and was defeated in the first round at the 2005 South East Asian Games in the Philippines by Loraine Lorelie Catalan, a Filipino exponent. Thai officials have claimed she was cheated by the judges in these matches, especially the matches involving exponents from the host nation. In 2011 Yaowa entered politics by applying to be a member of the Chart Pattana Puea Pandin Party and to be a candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2011 election in the Bangkok area. but was not elected Yaowapa ran for a member of the House of Representatives in the 2019 election in Bangkok, District 28 in the name of the Chart Pattana Party,Now she is party's spokesperson

Photo of Sudaporn Seesondee

9. Sudaporn Seesondee (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 20.89, Sudaporn Seesondee is the 9th most famous Thai Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sudaporn Seesondee (Thai: สุดาพร สีสอนดี, born 4 October 1991) is a Thai boxer. She won the silver medal in the women's 60 kg event at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. She won the bronze medal in the women's lightweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is the first Thai woman to win an Olympic boxing medal.

Photo of Tawin Hanprab

10. Tawin Hanprab (b. 1998)

With an HPI of 20.07, Tawin Hanprab is the 10th most famous Thai Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Tawin "Tem" Hanprab (Thai: เทวินทร์ หาญปราบ; RTGS: Thewin Hanprap; born 1 August 1998 in Nong Suea District, Pathum Thani Province) is a Thai taekwondo practitioner. He won the silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics Men's 58 kg.

People

Pantheon has 45 people classified as Thai athletes born between 1963 and 2004. Of these 45, 45 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Thai athletes include Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon, Wiradech Kothny, and Kaeo Pongprayoon. As of April 2024, 38 new Thai athletes have been added to Pantheon including Yaowapa Boorapolchai, Sudaporn Seesondee, and Tawin Hanprab.

Living Thai Athletes

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Newly Added Thai Athletes (2024)

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