Thai Teen Jet Ski Champion Wins International Title in Malaysia
Thirteen-year-old jet ski champion Naphatthorn Meedej from Koh Samui won Malaysia's Kundang Invitational championship in his age group, aiming next for a world title in the sport.
Surat Thani — Thai communities are celebrating as a young jet ski athlete from Koh Samui has brought pride to Thailand by winning a major international championship in Malaysia with his sights set on the world title. Naphatthorn Meedej, known as "Bot," 13, a jet ski athlete from Nai Muang subdistrict, Koh Samui district, Surat Thani province, traveled to compete in the Kundang Invitational Jet Sports Geopark Challenge 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 29. He successfully claimed first place in the boys' 13-15 age group, 1100 Spark Beginner category, and returned to Koh Samui with the championship trophy.
Bot, a Grade 10 student at Sen Yose Joseph Koh Samui School, proudly displayed his trophy cabinet filled with awards from competitions both domestically and internationally. He revealed that he trained intensively for two weeks before the Malaysia competition. He emphasized that success requires consistent practice and dedication, and his future goal is to become a world champion in the 13-15 Codercross category. His inspiration comes from his parents, Chongraks and Sirinpharaph Meedej, who support his training, and he has loved jet skiing as his passion.
Previously, Bot won the close cross 13-15 category championship in Laos in 2026, and in 2025 competed in the King Cup in Pattaya, Chon Buri, earning 5th place in the world in the 1-lap slalom 8-13 age group. The article also highlights other Thai youth making international headlines, including "Nenee" Rattikant Amloy from Phuket, who advanced on America's Got Talent, and Thailand's national volleyball team, which won the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship for the fourth time and secured an Olympic berth for Los Angeles 2028, marking a historic first for Thai women's volleyball.
