Olympic Relay Hero's Car Submerged in Bangkok Floods
Olympic gold medalist Meuanchai Sihawongse's car was submerged during Bangkok's devastating floods after he left it at a sports authority building in Hua Mak, despite moving it to what he thought would be a safe location.
Meuanchai Sihawongse, the former Thai short-distance sprinter and gold medalist in the men's 4×100-meter relay at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, expressed his frustration after his vehicle was flooded at the Thailand Sports Authority building in Hua Mak. Thailand has been battered by major flooding across numerous areas, causing widespread property damage and severe hardship for residents, though water levels have begun to recede in some zones while many others remain in crisis. Meuanchai posted on Facebook with photos, saying: "A memory to keep. September 2026: I left my car because I had to travel to another province on the 24th. The car was submerged on the 25th. I knew beforehand the water would flood because I followed the page consistently, but I hesitated and trusted the meteorological department saying it would be okay. I moved it to a spot I thought would be safe, but it wasn't spared either. I survived it in 2011, but not this year. I'm heartbroken. Let's keep fighting. Thank you for being here all along."