Thai Skateboarder ST Finishes Seventh at Asian Games
Thailand's 14-year-old skateboarder ST finished seventh at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 102.85 points, citing nerves and mental focus issues despite solid training preparation.
NAGOYA, Japan — Thailand's 14-year-old skateboarder Wariyaraya Sukasem, known as "ST," finished seventh in the women's street skateboarding final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
Competing at Hall B of Aichi Sky Expo, ST scored 102.85 points, including 23.24 points in her best run and 79.61 points in the trick section.
China's Zhu Yuanling won gold with 166.57 points, followed by Japan's Yumeka Oda with 161.96 for silver. China's Cui Chenxi took bronze with 156.60.
After the final, ST said she was still nervous and under pressure, although she felt she had improved compared with previous competitions.
"I gave it everything I had today, but I didn't expect to make so many mistakes," ST said. "I trained really well, but when the competition started, I was extremely nervous. It felt like my mind wasn't fully there."
She said the result was disappointing but would serve as valuable experience.
"I'll go back and train again, making my tricks more solid and consistent," she said. "No matter how hard or perfectly you train, if you can't perform in competition, it's still a mistake."
ST said her next goal is to compete for qualification points for the 2028 Olympic Games in the United States, focusing on each competition and using her Asian Games experience to identify areas for improvement.
Meanwhile, Thailand's BMX Freestyle Park men also competed in the final. Saitharn Phetnoom, known as "Tao," scored 60.80 points to finish sixth, while Rungrueang Phamee, known as "Tam," scored 54.20 points to finish seventh.
Japan's rider won the BMX Freestyle Park men's gold medal.
