Thai Sprinter Puripol Wins 200m Gold at Asian Games
Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson won gold in the men's 200m at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games with a time of 19.88 seconds, equalling the Asian record and claiming his second gold medal of the Games.
NAGOYA, Japan — Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson captured the men's 200m gold medal at the 20th Asian Games "Aichi-Nagoya 2026" on Sunday, storming across the finish line in 19.88 seconds. The final was held at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, with the 200m considered one of Puripol's strongest events.
The 20-year-old sprinter had already broken the Asian Games record in the semifinals, clocking 20.10 seconds. In the final, Puripol produced another outstanding performance, leading from start to finish to win gold in 19.88 seconds.
The time equalled the Asian record held by Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye and marked the first time Puripol had broken the 20-second barrier in the 200m. The victory gave Puripol his second gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, following his triumph in the men's 100m.
According to the source report, Puripol's latest gold makes him the first Thai athlete in 52 years to win an Asian Games sprint gold since Thailand's previous two-time champion, Anan Rattanapol. Puripol is eligible for 2 million baht in prize money per gold medal under Thailand's reward scheme, bringing his total from the 100m and 200m victories to 4 million baht.
He still has two events remaining: the men's 4x100m relay and the mixed 4x100m relay. If he wins gold in both, his total potential prize money could reach 8 million baht.
