Wijan Ponlid

Wijan ponlid ( Thai : วิจารณ์ พล ฤทธิ์ , pronunciation: [ Wi-ʤaːn PON RIT ] * 26. April 1976 in Ban Tuek, district Si Satchanalai , Sukhothai Province ) is a former Thai boxer .

Southpaw Wijan won at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney , the Gold medal in the flyweight . He became only the second Thai Olympic champion after Somluck Kamsing , who won gold four years earlier. He beat Vardan Zakarjan, who competed for Germany, the Canadian Andrew Kooner, the Cuban Manuel Mantilla, Wladimir Sidorenko in the semi-finals and the amateur world champion and silver winner of the Atlanta Games , Bolat Schumadilow from Kazakhstan.

On his return home he was greeted with an elephant parade, got a house and a financial reward of ten million baht , which was donated by a consortium of Thai Rath (newspaper), Thai Airways , the "Communications Authority of Thailand" and six other companies. For this he was promoted to lieutenant (Thai: ร้อย ตำรวจ ตำรวจ ) in the police force . He never turned pro.

In addition, Wijan won the 1999 Southeast Asian Games in Bandar Seri Begawan .