BOLTENHAGEN, GERMANY : Thai sailor Keerati Bualong has qualified for the London 2012 Olympics after earning himself a spot in the Gold Fleet at the Audi World Laser Standard Seniors Championship, the final 2012 Olympic Sailing competition qualifying round for the men's one person dinghy class.
Thai sailor Keerati Bualong has qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.
The 19-year-old, originally from Nakhon Pathom, was ranked an impressive 25th out of 168 sailors in the regatta at the end of the fourth day of racing in the the Laser Worlds, when competitors are divided into gold, silver and bronze fleets based on the results of eight races.
With a spot in the Gold Fleet, Keerati is assured of Olympic qualification, becoming the first Thai to qualify in the men's one person dinghy.
"I am proud of my achievement for Thailand," Keerati said.
Keerati also wanted to thank the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), theYacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT) and the Laser Association of Thailand (LAT) for supporting him during his preparations for the regatta.
Keerati went into the Laser Worlds more prepared than he has ever been before.
After two months of intense physical training sponsored by SAT, he flew to Boltenhagen late last month for a week's pre-event training with the support and guidance of experts from LAT.
"Coming early enabled me to learn the local conditions, train with the best, and adjust to the cold," he said.
"While there is no strong tide, there have been big shifts in wind strength and direction, as well as strong gusts, which we had time to study.
"Going into the regatta, I had an advantage as I already knew which side of the course the wind favours and how to rig my sail for a top performance based on the local wind patterns."
The pre-event training also allowed Keerati to watch and learn from the world's best and he believes that made a difference.
"I've was training alongside top ranked English sailor Paul Goodison as well as sailors from Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Spain andTrinidad," said a delighted Keerati.
Such international competition usually challenges Keerati, whose past results in international regattas have not always reflected his achievements in Asia, where he is the current Asian Games and SEA Games gold medalist.
However, that was not the case this time around. "Keerati came into this regatta in top physical and mental shape," added his coach Veerasit Puangnak of the Royal Thai Navy, who sailed the Laser Standard in the Sydney Olympics when invited by organisers under the wild card system. "Our investment on fitness made a noticeable difference in his strength as a sailor. Temperatures have ranged from 6-12C so we also acquired warmer sailing gear to ensure his focus was on performing his best."