NONG KHAI — Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng is not only Thailand’s sole boxing hope who might break through to the final round to compete for an Olympic gold medal in Paris, but the fact that she is going to face Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who has faced backlash against her gender, on Tuesday in the women’s 66-kilogram semifinals has also drawn attention to her.
No matter what the outcome of the competition will be, Janjaem is the only boxer from eight Thai boxers in the Paris Games to secure an Olympic medal, and she has also ensured that the Thai boxing team won’t return home empty-handed in the 2024 Summer Olympics, after failing in two previous Olympics at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Residents of Fao Rai District, Nong Khai Province, are sending overwhelming support to her ahead of this crucial fight on August 6 (3:34 a.m. on August 7 Thailand time). Her parents have revealed that they are preparing a special dish, a spicy stir-fried eel, which her father has cooked for her to enjoy as soon as she returns to Thailand.
Sunon and Rungaroon Suwanpeng, the parents of Janjaem Suwanpeng, a 24-year-old boxer, opened their home on Sunday to receive relatives from Phrabutsarot village, Wang Luang Sub-district.
Pity and Pride for Daughter
Sunon mentioned that before the departure of “Bee” (Jantam’s nickname), the family prayed to the holy spirits of the village to help her. They asked the spirits at Huai Ngu Dam to make sure that she would not face a tough opponent right away and that they would help her win a medal.
They promised to organize a traditional folk performance for the villagers if she won a medal. They have already contacted the performers because they believe she has already won at least a bronze medal. When she won in the quarterfinals, they were very proud and cried tears of joy.
Sunon explained that they have been following her games closely and believe she is doing well. They encourage her to stay focused and confident, with 200% confidence in these Olympics. They advised her to do her best for the nation, stay calm, and bring home a medal for the Thai people.
Rungaroon, Janjaem’s mother, tearfully recounted that she didn’t believe it at first when her daughter made the national team because Jantjaem was still young and had just finished high school. However, the coach confirmed to her that it was true.
She had to accept her daughter’s graduation certificate on her behalf because Janjaem was busy training and competing. She feels both pity and pride for her daughter because watching her get beaten in the ring is painful, but Janjaem remains her beloved daughter.
“The neighbors have come to show their support and well wishes for the family and to cheer Bee on. Everyone sends their encouragement from Nong Khai and urges her to do her best for Thailand,” she said.
It Is Different This Time
Chatsupong Phoolat, a teacher at Wang Luangpittayasarn School in Fao Rai, who was the first to train Janjaem in boxing, said she started boxing at age 12. Her family had a boxing camp and she joined the school’s boxing club. She initially fought in Muay Thai under the name “Nong Bee P. Prasit.”
After seven fights, finding opponents became difficult, so she switched to boxing. Her outstanding performance earned her an Olympic ticket at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Watching Janjaem’s last fight, Chatsupong believes she can keep up and has a good chance of success because she adapts well in the ring. He is confident that the whole country will have a reason to celebrate.
Bee Jantaem was born on September 25, 1999. She is currently studying Physical Education and Health Education at the National Sports College in Sukhothai and serves as a flight sergeant in the Royal Thai Air Force.
Her previous successes include a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games, a silver medal at the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships, and a gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games.
Janjaem had fought against and lost to Khelif before in India at the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships. Now it is expected to be different this time, as she has significantly improved her skills under the training of her coach.
“I’m not afraid because we’re evenly matched. I’ve prepared my body well too, trained a lot. I just think, no matter how strong or tough she is, we’re both human, we both have two fists. Having come this far, I want to go all the way to the gold medal,” she said after learning that she would face Khelif.
End to Bullying Athletes
Meanwhile, the Associated Press published an interview with Imane Khelif about her tumultuous Olympic experience and her call for an end to bullying athletes after being greatly affected by the international backlash against her.
“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif said in Arabic with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press.
“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
The victories of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan in the ring in Paris have become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Games. Both women have clinched their first Olympic medals even as they have faced online abuse based on unsubstantiated claims about their gender, drawing them into a wider debate over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.
The 25-year-old Khelif acknowledged the pressure and pain of enduring this ordeal while competing far from home in the most important event of her athletic career.
“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply,” she said. “They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”
The vitriol stems from claims by the International Boxing Association, which has been permanently banned from the Olympics, that both Khelif and Lin failed unspecified eligibility tests for the women’s competition at last year’s world championships.
Khelif declined to answer when asked whether she had undergone tests other than doping tests, saying she didn’t want to talk about it.
Compete for A Medal
She expressed gratitude to the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, for standing resolutely behind her while the banned former governing body of Olympic boxing stoked a furor around her participation in Paris.
“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she said.
She also has seen massive support at her bouts, drawing cheers when she enters the arena and crowds waving Algerian flags chanting her first name. Khelif repeatedly made clear she won’t allow chatter or accusations to deter her from attempting to claim Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing.
“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Khelif said a day after beating Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary. “I came here for a medal, and to compete for a medal. I will certainly be competing to improve (and) be better, and God willing, I will improve, like every other athlete.”
Although she is aware of the worldwide discussion about her, Khelif said she has been somewhat removed.
“Honestly, I don’t follow social media,” she said. “There is a mental health team that doesn’t let us follow social media, especially in the Olympic Games, whether me or other athletes. I’m here to compete and get a good result.”
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