Tales of success featuring have-nots in Thai sports have never been in short supply, but Chatchu-On Moksri's meteoric rise from obscurity to becoming a household name manages to stand out.
The teenager, who has emerged as a volleyball star in the making, left her home in the northeast at the age of 11 and travelled all the way to the central Thailand town of Suphan Buri to enroll at a temple-sponsored school that offers free education to kids of Myanmar workers, among others, to make a name for herself.
Chatchu-On started making the headlines late last year when, at the age of 14, she led Ayutthaya ATCC to win the Thai Denmark Super League.
And that scintillating performance earned her a place on the Thai national U19 team for the Asian Women's U19 Volleyball Championship in Taiwan, and then the senior team for the AVC Cup in China in the same year.
Recently, she played for the senior team and impressed the fans at the World Grand Prix tournament.
A lot of the credit for her rise to prominence must go to Wat Chainawas School in Muang district, Suphan Buri where she both studies and trains at the same time.
Chalermchat Chutichao, a teacher and coach at Wat Chainawas School since 2006, said Chatchu-On was a product of an ongoing school project aimed at giving under-privileged children a chance to excel in life through sporting achievement.
Chatchu-On Moksri.
The project, which places particular emphasis on volleyball and sepak takraw, was the brainchild of Suphan Buri Mayor Ekapan Injai-eua, who also financially supports its activities.
Chalermchat said the project has worked well so far. In the beginning, most of the students were from areas within or on the outskirts of Suphan Buri.
"Now, almost 90 percent of nearly 700 students at the school are not Suphan Buri natives. They are either from other provinces or the children of Myanmar workers in the area,'' he said.
He added: “Everything is free here. They just study and join the training programme. We want them to use sport as a bridge to one of the leading universities in Thailand or to a better life.”
Chatchu-On was one such kid seeking a brighter future, an ambition that made her leave her home in the northeastern province of Buri Ram after graduating from primary school, where she played beach volleyball.
At Wat Chainawas School, like every other student, she gets up at 5.30am to get ready for classes and then trains from 4.30pm to 8pm.
Chalermchat said: “In our volleyball project, we have 55 students who have been separated for training in U12, U14 and U16 classes. We have won a number of titles at student level events.”
He added: “Chatchu-On came here in 2011 and it took her only a year and half to play in the professional league and then two years to join the national team.
“She was obviously talented and intensive training and competition honed her skills.”
Chalermchat, who also coaches Thailand’s U18 team, said: "Chatchu-On's fast progress had surprised everyone but she did put in a lot of effort in training and gave her best in every match she played.
Playing as an outside hitter, the 175cm tall Chatchu-On is expected to replace national team captain Wilavan Apinyapong in the future, and Chalermchat believes that with proper nurturing and experience it could happen in the near future.
“Her blocks are good but she needs to improve her spiking and digging,” he said.
With Chatchu-On about to move and study in the 10th grade at Kanjanabhisek School, a few kilometers away from Wat Chainawas School, Chalermchat said she would have to adjust her training schedule and he would assist her in every possible way.
“I will keep following her training and look after her until she has finished secondary school,” he said.
“At Wat Chainawas School, we have produced many role models and I want to see Chatchu-On go on to be an inspiration for our students here.”
Thailand head coach Kiattipong Radchatakriengkrai said the player was gifted with all the prerequisite traits that are needed to develop an individual into a good volleyball player.
He commented: "She is physically and mentally strong and can become a good player. However, she needs to be groomed by our technical staff and assisted by sports science experts to develop properly.
“Definitely, she is talented and with proper coaching, can be an asset for us in the future.”
Meanwhile, Chatchu-On said that she loves the sport and was happy to work hard for her future.
She said: "I has always been fond of volleyball and luckily my parents found the right place [Wat Chainawas School] for me after my primary education.
“It is far from home but sometimes you have to endure such things for a better future.”