Thai Sprinter Phuripol Breaks Into World's Top 14 in 100m
Thai sprinter Phuripol Bunsoan Lamkrood, 20, won the 100-meter gold at the 2026 Asian Games with a 9.90-second time, breaking the Asian Games record and becoming Thailand's first winner in the event since 1978—placing him 14th in the world
Twenty-year-old Thai sprinter Phuripol Bunsoan Lamkrood has jumped to 14th in the world rankings following his gold medal win at the 2026 Asian Games. He broke the Asian Games record twice, clocking 9.90 seconds in the final to claim the men's 100-metre gold—the first Thai athlete to win the event in 48 years, since Suchat Chaesurappong took gold in 10.44 seconds at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games.
Phuripol's 9.90-second performance places him 14th globally this season, alongside other world-class sprinters including American runners Max Thomas and Christian Coleman, and Jamaican runner Brian Levell. Earlier in the competition, Phuripol ran 9.95 seconds in the qualifying round, then improved to 9.91 seconds in the semi-final, each time setting new Asian Games records.
The world's top-ranked sprinter for 2026 remains American Noah Lyles with a time of 9.79 seconds.
