Sopita Tanasan

Sopita Tanasan (born December 23, 1994 in Chumphon Province, Thailand ) is a Thai weightlifter. She took part in the 2016 Olympic Games and won the gold medal in the weight class up to 48 kg body weight . In 2017 she became world champion in the weight class up to 53 kg.

Career

Sopita Tanasan comes from a sporty family from the Sawi district in the Thai province of Chumphon. Her father was a successful Thai boxer and wanted Sopita to take up this sport too. However, at the age of 10 she saw on television how her compatriot Pawina Thongsuk became Olympic champion in weightlifting in 2004 and was so enthusiastic about it that, with her father's consent, she also began weightlifting. After she successfully competed in several national competitions in school and youth, she was appointed to the Thai national weightlifting team in 2010. She also became a member of a weightlifting club in Bangkok. She has been a sports student in Bangkok for some time. At a height of 1.54 meters, it usually starts in the weight class up to 53 kg body weight.

At the age of seventeen she was used in this weight class at the 2011 World Championships in Paris. She achieved 196 kg (90-106) in a duel. With this performance she came in 12th place in a duel. In 2012 she took part in the Junior World Championships in Guatemala City and achieved 201 kg in a duel, (90-111) with which she finished second behind the Chinese Zhang Wangqiong , who came to 203 kg.

In 2013 Sopita Tanasan started at three international championships. In May 2013 she came in 3rd place at the Junior World Championship in Lima in the weight class up to 53 kg with 197 kg (91-106), in July 2013 she was Asian junior champion in the same weight class with a duel of 196 in Bishkek kg (91-105) and in October of this year she won the silver medal behind Li Yajun from China at the World Championships in Wrocław in the weight class up to 53 kg in a duel with 203 kg (91-112) .

She rewound a similarly extensive program in 2014. In March of this year she was again Asian junior champion in Bangsaen / Thailand with a duel of 200 kg (91-109) and in June 2014 she came in second place at the Junior World Championships in Kazan with 195 kg (98-107) . At the very strong Asian Games in Incheon she reached 6th place in the weight class up to 53 kg with 205 kg (95-110). At the 2014 World Cup in Almaty she achieved a duel of 208 kg (95-113), with which she just missed the medal ranks as fourth.

She also took 4th place at the 2015 World Championships in Houston. She achieved there in a duel 210 kg (95-115).

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she took the risk and trained in the weight class up to 48 kg. Since it was relatively easy for her to train off, this risk was a complete success. She achieved 200 kg (92-108) in a duel in Rio and was Olympic champion with this performance before Sri Wahyuni ​​Agustiani from Indonesia, 192 kg (85-107) and Hiromi Miyake , the daughter of the former Japanese top lifter Yoshiyuki Miyake, who weighed 188 kg (81-107) came.

In August 2017, Sopita Tanasan achieved at the Summer Universiade in Taipei, starting again in the weight class up to 53 kg, with 196 kg (88-108) only 4th place in a duel. Much better prepared, she entered the World Championships in Anaheim in November 2017 and was there in the same weight class with 210 kg (96-114) world champion in a duel before the Turkmen Kristina Schermetowa, who came to 204 kg (91-113) and Francisco Dias Hidilyn, Philippines, who reached 199 kg (86-113). She also won gold medals for her individual performances in tearing and pushing.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Result
2011	12.	World Cup in Paris	up to 53 kg	at 196 kg (90-106); Winner: Sulfiya Tschinschanlo , Kazakhstan, 227 kg (97–130)
2012	2.	Junior World Championships in Guatemala City	up to 53 kg	with 201 kg (90–111), behind Zhang Wanqiong, China, 203 kg (90–113)
2013	3.	Junior World Championships in Lima	up to 53 kg	with 197 kg (91–106), behind Alena Tschichkan, Belarus, 199 kg (97–112) and Liu Quan, China, 198 kg (88–110)
2013	1.	Asian Junior Championship in Bishkek	up to 53 kg	with 196 kg (91–105), before Wu Lingqian, China, 191 kg (91–100)
2013	2.	World Cup in Wrocław	up to 53 kg	with 203 kg (91–112), behind Li Yajun, China, 221 kg (100–121), in front of Kittima Sutana, Thailand, 200 kg 86–114)
2014	1.	Asian Junior Championship in Bangsaen	up to 53 kg	with 200 kg (91–109), before Supattra Kaewkhong, Thailand, 173 kg (77–96)
2014	2.	Junior World Championships in Kazan	up to 53 kg	with 195 kg (88–107), behind Wu Lingqian, China, 207 kg (97–110), in front of Syrah Anggraini, Indonesia, 187 kg (83–104)
2014	6th	Asian Games in Incheon	up to 53 kg	at 205 kg (95-110); Winner: Hsu Shu-ching , Taiwan, 233 kg (101–132), ahead of Sulfiya Tschinschanlo, 228 kg (96–132)
2014	4th	World Cup in Almaty	up to 53 kg	with 208 kg (95–113), behind Sulfiya Tschinschanlo, 232 kg (98–134), Hsu Shu-ching, 218 kg and Li Yajun, China, 214 kg (96–118)
2015	4th	World Cup in Houston	up to 53 kg	with 210 kg (95–115), behind Hsu Shu-ching, 221 kg (96–125), Chen Xiaoting, China, 221 kg (101–120) and Francisco Diaz Hidilyn, Philippines, 213 kg (96–117)
2016	gold	OS in Rio de Janeiro	up to 48 kg	at 200 kg (92-108); before Sri Wahunyi Agustiani, Indonesia, 192 kg (85–107) and Hiromi Miyake, Japan, 188 kg (81–107)
2017	4th	Summer Universiade in Taipei	up to 53 kg	with 196 kg (88-108); behind Ri Su-yon, North Korea, 208 kg (90–1189, Liu Feng, China, 207 kg (90–117) and Supattra Kaewkhong, 197 kg (86–111)
2017	1.	World Cup in Anaheim	up to 53 kg	with 210 kg (96–114), ahead of Kristina Schermetowa, Turkmenistan, 204 kg (91–113) and Francisco Diaz Hidilyn, 199 kg (86–113)

Explanations

• all competitions in the Olympic duel, consisting of two-armed tearing and pushing

World Cup individual medals

• World Cup gold medals: 2017 / tear, 2017 / push
• World Cup silver medals: 2013 / tear

literature

• Athletics magazine

Web links

• Sopita Tanasan in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Portrait of Sopita Tanasan
• Newspaper interview with Sopita Tanasan