Thai golf star Thongchai ready to live up Olympic dream
As a kid, Thongchai Jaidee dreamt of becoming a footballer, hoping that one day he would get into the Thai national team and play in the Olympics. A freak accident though where a wooden skewer got lodged in his foot and laid him off the sport dealt Thongchai with a twist of fate that now as a 46-year-old, he will become an Olympian in a different discipline – golf.
- Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand/ Source: Asian Tour
Instead of kicking a football, the three-time Asian Tour number one will this week use his skills in getting a golf ball into a 4.25 inch-diameter hole in the least number of strokes in Rio de Janeiro. And he hopes to celebrate the occasion with an Olympic medal. “In my life, I never thought golf would be played in the Olympics,” said Thongchai, who is the 39th ranked golfer in the world.
“I’m 47 this year and I’m looking forward to representing my country. It’s a proud moment in my career and it’s going to be amazing. The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world so I’m grateful to be a part of it. To be honest, I’m proud and excited to represent Thailand. If I do win a medal, it will be a plus but representing my country and Asia is what I’m really looking forward to.”
As one of the richest sporting personalities now in Thailand, Thongchai, who started a Foundation and golf academy in his hometown of Lopburi some years ago to give back to the sport, has no regrets that fate led him to golf’s fairways to stardom.
While his focus will be on trying to deliver a medal for Thailand when golf returns into the Olympic fold after a lapse of 112 years, he will also be rooting for his other compatriots, especially the boxers, to shine in Rio de Janeiro. “I remember in 2008, Somjit Jongjohor won the gold medal in boxing and that was a proud moment for us. We’ve won a few gold medals in boxing so that has been a good sport for us. Maybe golf will be a popular sport for us in the Olympics as well,” he smiled.
Thongchai hopes to catch some other sporting action during his time in Rio and it is no surprise that football ranks high on his list. “I do not have a favourite Olympian but my favourite team is the Brazilian football team. They will be an exciting team to watch when they play in front of their home fans,” he said.
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