Kunlavut claims historic Asian Games badminton gold for Thailand
Kunlavut Vitidsarn beats Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 21-12, 21-16 to win Thailand’s first Asian Games men’s singles badminton gold.
- Kunlavut Vitidsarn has won Thailand's first-ever men's singles badminton gold medal at the Asian Games.
- He defeated Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the final with a straight-games victory of 21-12, 21-16.
- The triumph is a historic milestone for Thai badminton, surpassing the country's previous best result of a bronze medal in 1970.
Thailand’s Kunlavut “View” Vitidsarn made history by winning the men’s singles badminton gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, defeating Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in straight games on Tuesday (September 29).
The final at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, ended in a 21-12, 21-16 victory for Kunlavut, giving Thailand its first-ever Asian Games gold medal in men’s singles badminton.
The opening game remained closely contested at 8-8 before Kunlavut began to take control. The Thai shuttler moved 12-8 ahead and then extended his advantage to 19-12 before closing out the game 21-12.
The second game was tighter, with the two players level at 13-13. Kunlavut then moved 18-15 ahead and maintained his momentum to seal the game 21-16 and complete a 2-0 victory.
The triumph marks a historic milestone for Thai badminton. Kunlavut had already become the first Thai player to reach an Asian Games men’s singles final after defeating Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-finals.
Thailand’s previous best result in the event was a bronze medal won by Sangob Rattanusorn in 1970.
