Thai Taekwondo Leaves Asia Championships Empty-Handed in Mongolia
Thailand's taekwondo team secured one silver medal at the Asian Championships in Mongolia but failed to medal on day three, with fighters eliminated across multiple divisions by stronger international competitors.
The 2026 Asian Taekwondo Championships held at M-Bank Arena in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from May 21-24, 2025, serves as a qualifying tournament for seven athletes per division to compete at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
On day three of competition, the Thai taekwondo team had four additional fighters competing. In the 87-kilogram division, Jack Woody Mercer, a Thai-English athlete, faced off against Saudi Arabia's Ali Mabrok in the round of 16. In the first round, Jack landed four scoring kicks to the chest and executed one takedown after his opponent fell, winning 9-6. In the second round, he dominated with superior height, winning decisively 10-3 to advance to the bronze medal match against Taiwan's Chen Liang-tzu.
In the semifinal bronze medal bout against Taiwan's Chen Liang-tzu, Jack was defeated. In the first round, he attempted kicks but fell and was struck in the head and body, losing 0-12. In the second round, he was hit in the head again, falling 1-3 and narrowly missing out on a medal.
In the women's 53-kilogram division, Panbua Moramat faced Nepal's Keeta Kathayat in her opening match. Despite being smaller, Panbua won 7-3 with head and foot kicks. In the second round, a competitive match saw Panbua land a body kick and execute a takedown, narrowly winning 3-2 to advance. She then faced Nematosadat Mobina, the Olympic bronze medalist from Iran in the 49-kilogram division. Panbua struggled against Mobina's physical advantages and was defeated 0-2 and 0-9, then 0-5, exiting the tournament.
In the 67-kilogram division, "Gaem" Piyachatharathai Chareewarwhan faced a tough first-round matchup against Iran's Moradi Cheklar Saghar. Piyachatharathai, at a size disadvantage, was struck with kicks and head shots, losing 1-6 in the first round. In the second round, she continued to struggle after being hit in the head twice, losing 0-6 to exit the competition.
In the 63-kilogram division, Satang Nithakorn Lumphae faced Huang Ke-fei, a world championship gold medalist from China. In the first round, Nithakorn was kicked and lost 0-9. In the second round, his attempts to counterattack failed as Ke-fei struck with kicks and head shots, winning 12-4 to eliminate Nithakorn in the first round.
After three days of competition with ten Thai fighters participating, the team has earned one silver medal from Patcharkanya Phoolgerd in the 46-kilogram division, plus two additional quotas for the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
