4 August 1996

Boxer strikes Olympic gold

In one of the greatest moments in Thai sporting history, featherweight boxer Somluck Kamsing earned the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal when he defeated Bulgaria’s three-time world champion, Serafim Todorov, with a score of 8-5. At the end of the fight, Somluck proudly held up a portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, while a vociferous crowd of Thai supporters cheered loudly in the stadium.

With the gold medal, Somluck, a sailor in the Royal Thai Navy, stood to make more than 30 million baht in promised cash rewards and other gifts. The cabinet approved an exemption on income tax for Somluck based on the glory and honour he had brought to Thailand. Premsak Piayura, an MP from Somluck’s native Khon Kaen, proposed awarding the boxer an honorary doctorate in physical education. Premsak also proposed Somluck’s native Ban Haet sub-district be upgraded to a district.

4 August 1996

Boxer strikes Olympic gold

In one of the greatest moments in Thai sporting history, featherweight boxer Somluck Kamsing earned the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal when he defeated Bulgaria’s three-time world champion, Serafim Todorov, with a score of 8-5. At the end of the fight, Somluck proudly held up a portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, while a vociferous crowd of Thai supporters cheered loudly in the stadium.

With the gold medal, Somluck, a sailor in the Royal Thai Navy, stood to make more than 30 million baht in promised cash rewards and other gifts. The cabinet approved an exemption on income tax for Somluck based on the glory and honour he had brought to Thailand. Premsak Piayura, an MP from Somluck’s native Khon Kaen, proposed awarding the boxer an honorary doctorate in physical education. Premsak also proposed Somluck’s native Ban Haet sub-district be upgraded to a district.