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Among the 11 nations that have medaled in badminton at the Olympics, one country is shockingly missing — Thailand.
The Asian nation has become a heavyweight in the sport since the arrival of its superstar Ratchanok Intanon on the horizon. With her numerous 'youngest' records, she has inspired a host of young stars in both singles as well as doubles circuits.
Now, with multiple potential qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, Thailand will be eagerly looking to correct their medalless record at the quadrennial Games.
Here we take a look at the Thai shuttlers who could bag a berth at the Tokyo Olympics and bring home the country's first-ever badminton medal:
Potential Tokyo Olympics singles qualifiers from Thailand
#1 Ratchanok Intanon
Thailand's biggest badminton star Ratchanok Intanon will be going all out to win an Olympic medal that she missed out on at the Rio Games five years ago. The Tokyo Olympics will present the former World No. 1 a chance at redemption, having bowed out to Akane Yamaguchi in the Round of 16 in the previous edition.
Intanon burst into the spotlight with a stellar junior career that saw her win the World Junior Championships and become its youngest-ever champion. The three-time world junior champion soon brought her nimble footwork and tremendous guile into the senior circuit to establish herself as a contender for the top titles.
It was in 2013 that she gave the world an exhibition of her fabulous skills when she reached the final at the All England Open and won the World Championships at the age of 18. With that achievement she etched her name in the record books as the youngest ever shuttler to be crowned the world champion in singles.
In an illustrious career that has now spanned nearly a decade, Intanon has added a host of elite titles that include the Asian Championships and Indonesia Open, among others.
One of the best players not to medal at the Games, the 26-year-old is gearing up for a strong showing at the Tokyo Olympics. She has reached the semi-finals in two tournaments this year, one of which is the prestigious All England Open.
Currently in sixth position at the Race to Tokyo Rankings, Intanon will hope to put up a confident performance in her next tournament as she sets her sights on a podium finish at the Olympics.
#2 Busanan Ongbamrungphan
Busanan Ongbamrungphan is another of Thailand's young stars who announced her arrival at the World Junior Championships. The 25-year-old bagged a bronze in the 2013 edition of the event and went one better at the Asian Junior Championships that year, where she took the silver.
After adding a further few medals to her kitty from the Youth Olympics and the Asian Youth Games, she embarked on a journey of consistency in the senior circuit.
Ongbamrungphan shone at the erstwhile BWF Grand Prix level, claiming four titles in 10 events. Her home tournaments — the Thailand Open and the Thailand Masters — have been her happy hunting ground, where she has made the finals five times, winning only once.
The World No. 13 is leaving no stone unturned in securing a spot in Thailand's Tokyo Olympics squad as their No. 2 women's singles player after Intanon.
She started the 2021 season with a lot of determination, as is evident from her superb performances in the first quarter of the year. Ongbamrungphan won the Orleans Masters, in addition to making the quarters in three of the other four events.
Currently in 11th place in the Race to Tokyo Rankings, she needs to continue doing well to hold off the surging Pornpawee Chochuwong breathing down her neck.
#3 Kantaphon Wangcharoen
With a bronze medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships, Kantaphon Wangcharoen established himself as one of the talents to watch out for. Even though it took him a couple of years to show his spark at the senior level, Wangcharoen has been a member of the elite brigade of men's singles players since 2018.
A couple of semi-finals and a series of quarter-finals that year helped him find a place in the best-eight of the season at the BWF World Tour Finals. Wangcharoen built on it further the very next year to grab a highly-coveted bronze medal at the BWF World Championships. The Thai shuttler's exploits catapulted him into the top 20 of the world rankings and he has been a permanent member of that bracket since.
In 2021, he has played just four events so far, where he has managed to make the last-eight only once. Despite him not being at his best, Wangcharoen could make it through to the Tokyo Olympics as he is currently placed 14th in the Race to Tokyo Rankings.
Potential Tokyo Olympics doubles qualifiers from Thailand
#1 Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai (XD)
One of Thailand's strongest medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics is the mixed doubles combination of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai. With remarkable performances in the past few years, the pair has reached as high as No. 2 in the world rankings.
Medals from the World Championships, the Asian Championships as well as a ton of titles on the BWF World Tour have made them a force to be reckoned with.
The pair hasn't played outside Thailand this year but has interestingly won all three events that were held in the country at the start of the year — the Yonex Thailand Open, the Toyota Thailand Open and the BWF World Tour Finals. Their efforts have been rewarded with a spot in the top-3 of the Race to Tokyo Rankings.
It would be a travesty if they don't end up on the podium at the Tokyo OIympics.
#2 Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai (WD)
Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai have formed a decent partnership in women's doubles and could be darkhorses at the Tokyo Olympics. They are currently in ninth position in the Race to Tokyo Rankings and might make the top-8 with a last big push to automatically qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Kititharakul and Prajongjai could very much find themselves in the top-8 if they continue their early-season heroics. The Thai pair tasted glory at the Orleans Masters and finished as the runners-up at the Yonex Thailand Open. They will surely be going all out at the final Tokyo Olympics qualifier in Singapore to push their way up.
