Thai Athlete Wins Historic First Jujitsu Gold at Asian Games
Thai jujitsu athlete Orapha Senatham won the first ever gold medal in the sport at the Asian Games, defeating a Philippine rival in the final. She had dominated throughout the tournament, while her compatriot Aksornapak Sirimak exited early. Thailand’s male under‑85 kg entrants both fell in the opening round.
Orapha Senatham displayed strong form from the opening round through to the final, narrowly defeating her Philippine opponent to win the first ever gold medal in jujitsu at the Asian Games. The 20th Asian Games jujitsu competition was held on October 3 at the Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall in Japan. Thailand entered four athletes, with two competing in the women’s under‑63 kg division: “Pook” Orapha Senatham and “Focus” Aksornapak Sirimak. In the round of 16, Aksornapak lost to Mongolia’s Narankhishig Bazanjargal, while Orapha defeated the United Arab Emirates’ Aisha Al‑Nebi. In the quarterfinals, Orapha lived up to her reputation as the reigning World Games gold medalist (2025) by beating Andrea Luis Leo of the Philippines to advance to the semifinals, where she overcame Jordan’s Yama Aishagat to set up a final showdown against Enrique Alexandre Luis of the Philippines. After a closely contested match, the Thai athlete prevailed on points, securing Asian Games jujitsu’s inaugural gold and Thailand’s 16th medal overall at the Games. In the men’s under‑85 kg category, Thailand fielded Sukijpeerat Chanathanakha and Thanapat Phonphut. Both lost in the round of 32 – Sukijpeerat to Japan’s Go Isuki and Thanapat to Jordan’s Osama Nabas.
