Sirawit Falls to South Korea, Misses Medal at Asian Taekwondo Championships
Thailand's taekwondo team failed to medal at the Asian Championships in Mongolia, with SEA Games champion Sirawit losing to South Korea's Yang Hee Chan in the semi-finals despite previous victories over the same opponent.
The 2026 Asian Taekwondo Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from May 21-24, served as a qualifying event for the Asian Games. On day two, Thailand's taekwondo team competed with four athletes. In the 58kg division, Fa Ees Sirawit Muhammadiad, the previous SEA Games champion, defeated Brunei's Muhammad Iman Safwan in the first round with a dominant 12-0 performance in both rounds. He then advanced to face a Chinese competitor in the Round of 16, winning 11-1 and 13-9. In the semi-finals, Fa Ees faced Yang Hee Chan, a former world youth champion from South Korea, whom he had previously defeated at a Grand Prix event in Thailand last year. However, this time Fa Ees lost decisively 0-2, 0-9 and 6-14, narrowly missing out on a medal.
In the 49kg division, Shutikarn Jongkolratanvattana, a previous SEA Games champion who moved down from 53kg, defeated Singapore's Nichelle Tan in the first round and advanced to face Yun Yu Liu, the world champion from Taiwan. After a close first round that ended 5-5 on kicks before Shutikarn's head strike gave her the edge, the semi-final proved more challenging. Liu pressured aggressively in the second round with a head strike to take it 3-1. The third round remained tied 3-3, but Liu's stronger chest protector scoring secured the victory. Shutikarn was eliminated in the Round of 16.
Two other Thai athletes also fell short: Krit Yachon Prom Patchai lost to South Korea's competitor 11-12 and 9-15 in the 74kg Round of 16, and Lukkaow Kanjanaksa Chunchoolim lost to China's Chao Su Nan 1-2 in the 73kg Round of 16.
