Panipak eyes on Olympic glory after 2nd World Championships title
World No 1 Panipak Wongpattanakit ousted two time Olympic champion Wu Jingyu of China to claim her second World Taekwondo Championships gold medal in Manchester on Saturday.
The 21-year-old fighter outclassed the Beijing and London Olympics gold medallist 21-6 in the women’s 49kg final in the biennial tournament, held in Manchester. Her previous victory in the World Championships was in Russia four years ago when she competed in the 46kg category. Hailing from Surat Thani, Panipak said that her next goal is to win the Olympics in Japan next year.
“I am very happy to win the match today,” the country’s top taekwondo exponent posted on Facebook.
“Thanks to my coach and my team. I can’t do it without their support. … I hope I can win the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Japan.”
Julanan Khantikulanon also won bronze in the women’s 46kg as Thailand finished with two medals at the world championships.
