New year brings new challenges

The amazing performances of our athletes in the outgoing year offered plenty to be proud of and to look forward to next season.

With their gruelling training now over for the year, all our athletes are on a deserved break. However, a tough challenge awaits them in the new year as they seek to break onto the global stage. Lifting themselves to a level where they can consistently challenge in Asia and the world might be the hardest thing of all.

In 2011, Thai athletes have made strong impacts in several top-notch events. Taekwondo practitioner Rangsiya Nisaisom emerged as the first Thai ever to win a gold medal in the World Championships when she reigned supreme in the women’s 62kg class in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Also thrusting Thailand into the limelight was young shuttler Ratchanok Inthanon, who brought global renown when the 16-year-old sensation won her third World Junior Badminton Championships in succession.

But nothing matched the level of Thai excitement generated by the amazing run of the women’s volleyball team. The already-feared spikers made their mark to advance to the World Grand Prix Finals for the first time in history. They put up a good fight in the international spotlight, returning with an honourable sixth-place finish.

There were plenty of other magic moments and happy tales of significant Thai success to light up 2011. The Southeast Asian Games and the Asean Para Games in Indonesia showed that our athletes grit and competitive spark would not be dampened by the disastrous flooding and the obstacles it put in their way.

Thai athletes fought tooth and nail in the SEA Games to add lustre to the reputation of the country they love. Despite a second-place finish in the overall medal standings, Thailand proved they are second to none among Asean countries in terms of guts and skill in the face of adversity.

Our swimmers had targeted only two gold medals in the SEA Games, but had collected a trove of eight by the end of competition. Gifted Natthanan Junkrajang caused a major sensation by ruling the pool with five golds. Elsewhere, Thai taekwondo exponents were rampant on the mat in scooping seven golds. 

As the SEA Games wrapped, Thai disabled athletes entered the scene and got busy underlining their supremacy at the Asean Para Games, where they clinched their fifth overall title in a row.

The new year is fast approaching and a number of crucial tests await Thai athletes, ranging from the Asian Championships to world meets in several disciplines, not to mention the Olympic Games in London.

This will be busy and challenging year for Thai athletes. Many are chasing berths for the London trip while others must restore lost pride.

The Thai men’s soccer team, for example, have suffered a humiliating first-round loss twice in succession at the SEA Games – a dagger in the heart of Thailand supporters. To keep their die-hard fans’ faith, they will need to make a successful comeback. They can go part of the way by making it to the next round of 2014 World Cup qualification. To accomplish that goal, they have to beat Oman in their last Group D match in February and at the same time rely on Australia to beat Saudi Arabia.

In the coming year, though, Thailand could face another influential factor – senior players calling time on their international careers. In that case, everything needs to be done to ensure incoming fresh faces maximise their potential to reach international standard.

More importantly, we have to send all our athletes for more overseas training and competitions. Such events serve as stepping stones for Thai athletes to raise their game and competitiveness when they meet their more advantaged counterparts in the larger arenas of the World and the Olympic Games.

Being a hero or heroine is not necessarily a matter of winning medals, though. Sometimes all that’s needed to make a statement is to take part. The missions for Thai athletes in 2012 have changed, but they are not impossible. Keep your fingers crossed and hope that international glory will come our way.