The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) on Wednesday awarded Ratchanok Intanon a 400,000 baht financial support bonus in recognition of her winning the Asian badminton champion title, the first Thai to do so.
World No.7 Ratchanok said after receiving the award that she was now aiming to one day win an Olympic gold medal, although for the 2016 Games in Brazil she would be happy for any medal.
Ratchanok said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told her he had always cheered her, win or lose, and asked her not to put pressure on herself. She said she met Gen Prayut in person for the first time after the premier had sent messages of support to her Facebook page.
The premier urged her to continue to maintain her academic achievements after learning that she received a 3.87 GPA.
The Thai defeated China’s Li Xuerui to win the women’s singles title at the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China on Sunday.
The 2013 world champion beat the Olympic gold medallist 20-22, 23-21, 21-12 to become the first Thai player to take home the women’s singles honours along with the US15,000 (480,000 baht) cash prize. With the win, Ratchanok will move up to No.6 when the new world rankings are released this week.