Weightlifter Natthida “Nong Fa” Suchartphong, who won a gold medal at the Bahrain 2021 Asian Youth Para Games, arrived home to a warm welcome on Friday.
Provincial governor Kaisorn Wisitwong led officials to welcome the 17-year-old national athlete at the provincial hall. He praised her for bringing fame to Thailand and the province, and presented her with a cash reward.
Natthida, who trains at Nakhon Si Thammarat sports school, was injured during preparation for a weightlifting competition in 2019. The accident left her partially paralysed. She was a patient under the patronage of His Majesty the King.
In true sporting spirit, the teen from Thung Song district refused to give up on her dream to be a Thai national athlete.
She kept training and her efforts yielded fruit. She became a national weightlifter with disabilities, and was entered in the Asian Para Youth Games in Bahrain, held on Dec 2-6, and won a gold medal.
Nong Fa thanked everyoone for their support and encouragement. Although she could not do things she could do before, sport still changed her life, she said.
Gold medallist weightlifter Natthida “Nong Fa” Suchartphong, in wheelchair, is presented with a cash reward by Nakhon Si Thammarat governor Kaisorn Wisitwong onher arrival home on Friday. (Photo: Nujaree Rakrun
