Fastest man has hair cut at finish line
Fastest man has hair cut at finish line
JAKARTA (JP): What do you do when you have just been declared
the fastest man in Southeast Asia? You get a haircut!
That's what Thai 100 meter gold medalist Vissanu Sophanich did
after he crossed the finish line ahead of the seven other
contenders in the Games blue-ribbon event.
"I'm just very, very happy," said the 23-year-old runner.
"I trained and concentrated every day, every month, all year,"
he said as he draped himself in the red, white and blue colors of
the Thai flag.
Thai coaches and officials then trimmed Vissanu's hair to a
short crew cut. It was his way for him to express his joy, his
way of saying thanks to the powers that be at this momentous time
in his life.
He had made a pledge to cut off his hair if he won, and he
kept his promise. Right there on the finish line where he had
just stopped the clock at 10.45 seconds.
His time was still well outside the Games record of 10.36, but
in the ruptuous joy of the moment, that did not seem to matter.
Vissanu had clocked his personal best in the qualifying heat
on Monday, 10.41 seconds. He performed strongly showing his
qualities as both a strong starter and finisher.
The result of the heat really showed that Vissanu was the man
to beat, and yesterday no one could.
Success for the young runner should not come as a surprise as
he hails from a family of athletes.
His father was formerly a Thai seeded athlete in the 4x100m,
his mother a high jumper and his sister was also a 100m runner.
He says they were the ones who instilled the discipline of
training as they were very strict.
"I know they must be very happy right now," he said.
In addition to concentrating on athletics, Vissanu's parents
also demanded their son complete his studies at Prasanmitr
University, where he majored in physical education.
Given that Vissanu only switched from rugby to athletics last
year, his rocketing form has truly been remarkable.
With just a year's preparation, Vissanu is already now
recognized as the fastest man in the region. Many dread to think
what he could achieve with a bit more training.
His team manager, Anawin Pukdeejit, said that he was more than
satisfied with Vissanu's time.
"I was sure that he would win before the race. But when the
race was about to start, I started to think, every runner had the
same chance."
Apart from a gold medal, Vissanu will receive 50,000 baht
(US$140) from the Thai government.
Pukdeejit said that if the economic situation in Thailand had
been better, the amount would have been higher because private
sector companies and team sponsors would not have hesitated to
shower the nation's outstanding athletes with hefty financial
rewards. (04/mds)
JAKARTA (JP): What do you do when you have just been declared
the fastest man in Southeast Asia? You get a haircut!
That's what Thai 100 meter gold medalist Vissanu Sophanich did
after he crossed the finish line ahead of the seven other
contenders in the Games blue-ribbon event.
"I'm just very, very happy," said the 23-year-old runner.
"I trained and concentrated every day, every month, all year,"
he said as he draped himself in the red, white and blue colors of
the Thai flag.
Thai coaches and officials then trimmed Vissanu's hair to a
short crew cut. It was his way for him to express his joy, his
way of saying thanks to the powers that be at this momentous time
in his life.
He had made a pledge to cut off his hair if he won, and he
kept his promise. Right there on the finish line where he had
just stopped the clock at 10.45 seconds.
His time was still well outside the Games record of 10.36, but
in the ruptuous joy of the moment, that did not seem to matter.
Vissanu had clocked his personal best in the qualifying heat
on Monday, 10.41 seconds. He performed strongly showing his
qualities as both a strong starter and finisher.
The result of the heat really showed that Vissanu was the man
to beat, and yesterday no one could.
Success for the young runner should not come as a surprise as
he hails from a family of athletes.
His father was formerly a Thai seeded athlete in the 4x100m,
his mother a high jumper and his sister was also a 100m runner.
He says they were the ones who instilled the discipline of
training as they were very strict.
"I know they must be very happy right now," he said.
In addition to concentrating on athletics, Vissanu's parents
also demanded their son complete his studies at Prasanmitr
University, where he majored in physical education.
Given that Vissanu only switched from rugby to athletics last
year, his rocketing form has truly been remarkable.
With just a year's preparation, Vissanu is already now
recognized as the fastest man in the region. Many dread to think
what he could achieve with a bit more training.
His team manager, Anawin Pukdeejit, said that he was more than
satisfied with Vissanu's time.
"I was sure that he would win before the race. But when the
race was about to start, I started to think, every runner had the
same chance."
Apart from a gold medal, Vissanu will receive 50,000 baht
(US$140) from the Thai government.
Pukdeejit said that if the economic situation in Thailand had
been better, the amount would have been higher because private
sector companies and team sponsors would not have hesitated to
shower the nation's outstanding athletes with hefty financial
rewards. (04/mds)