Badminton star Kunlavut Vitidsarn returned home to a hero’s reception on Wednesday morning after a successful Olympic debut campaign.
Kunlavut claimed the country’s first-ever medal in badminton after reaching the men’s singles final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He lost in straight sets to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who became the first man to retain an Olympic men’s singles title since the Chinese great Lin Dan, who won in 2008 and 2012.
Speaking to the media at Suvarnabhumi airport, Kunlavut said he was touched when he received a bouquet of flowers from HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya in Paris.
“It will serve as a motivation for me to keep improving,” he said. “I also intend to give my silver medal to His Majesty the King on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.”
People throng Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday to welcome badminton star Kunlavut Vitidsarn. (Photo: Sutthiwit Chayutworakarn)
On his first day back home, Kunlavut later met Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at Government House. The premier hailed the shuttler, who has risen to fourth in the world rankings, as the nation’s pride.
Mr Srettha also congratulated women’s shuttler Ratchanok Intanon, who reached the women’s singles quarter-final before losing to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.
For winning Olympic silver, Kunlavut is entitled to receive as much as 7.2 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund. He received an additional 1.5 million baht from Thai badminton chief Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee.
The property developer Sena Development also announced it will give a condominium worth around 2.5 million to Kunlavut.
He will also receive a 10,000-baht monthly salary for 20 years from the Olympic Committee of Thailand..