Ratchanok Intanon has already been embraced by the nation as its latest heroine, but the new world No.1 is anxious to chase an Olympic medal that would give her the "superwoman" status in the country.
Ratchanok Intanon is greeted by her parents at Don Mueang airport after returning from Singapore yesterday. Wichan Charoenkiatpakul
The Thai, who completed an unprecedented hat-trick of women's singles Superseries titles in Singapore on Sunday and assured herself of an elevation to the top spot in the world rankings, was given a hero's welcome when she landed in Bangkok yesterday.
Hundreds of well-wishers and an army of reporters greeted the 21-year-old Yasothon native at Don Mueang airport.
She received bouquets of flowers from a representative of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha and HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, a former national team badminton player.
Ratchanok began her fairytale run with an impressive victory in the India Open final on April 3 and claimed the Malaysia Open crown a week later.
Sunday's triumph in the Singapore Open showdown gave her three consecutive top-flight titles. She also won at the Thailand Masters in Bangkok in February.
Ratchanok, who became badminton's youngest ever world champion in 2013, will wrest the No.1 spot from Carolina Marin of Spain when the world rankings are updated on Thursday.
Ratchanok declared yesterday: "Now that I have secured the No.1 spot, I am ready to take on anyone in the world."
She added: "I am really content with my form at the moment, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
"I am handling the on-court pressure in a far better way now and most importantly I have been injury-free for some time.
"There are still some shortcomings in my game that need to be addressed.
"I am ready to put in extra efforts to make my fellow Thais prouder by bringing home a badminton medal [from the Rio Olympics]."
Thailand have never won a medal in badminton at the Olympic Games.
Before boarding the flight home at Singapore's Changi airport, Ratchanok told AFP yesterday: "My target is gold medal at the Olympic Games... But I think that getting a medal would be like [becoming] superwoman."
Olympic success would mean redemption for Ratchanok, who was heartbroken after she was eliminated in the London 2012 quarter-finals.
She won the first game against Wang Xin and built a big lead in the second only for the Chinese to rally and claim the last two games.
"After I lost, I felt bad and I couldn't sleep. I've never felt that way before," she said.
"I wanted to close my eyes but I could not stop thinking about the loss."
Ratchanok added: "I don't want to pressure myself but I think I have a chance to get an Olympic medal for Thailand.
"Now that I have become world No.1, I have reached a dream. I have completed one step but I still have one more step."
Ratchanok has also been quoted as saying that as a kid she never enjoyed playing badminton, the sport which has now generated a financial windfall along with stardom for her.
Ratchanok picked up the sport at an early age, when she used to play in the grounds of Bangkok's Banthongyord dessert factory where her parents worked.
"I didn't enjoy badminton at first and didn't want to be an athlete. I just trained not to disturb my parents while they were working," she said. bangkok post/afp