“Wave-Oil” lead the charge as the Thai national weightlifting team aims for medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
General Wisut Detsakul, Secretary-General of the Amateur Weightlifting Association of Thailand, revealed the readiness of the Thai national weightlifting team for the 20th Asian Games from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The Thai powerhouse team is training at the National Weightlifting Training Center in Chiang Mai, supported by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). The team quota includes 10 athletes: 5 men and 5 women. The association conducted a rigorous selection to field the strongest athletes with the best records.
Weightlifting is among the sports with strong medal prospects at the Asian Games. General Wisut said Thailand's hopes rest on “Wave” Veerapol Wichuma, gold medalist at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand and silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, and “Oil” Surajana Khambao, gold medalist at the 33rd SEA Games and bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics. Both are key contributors to Thailand's weightlifting team aiming for medals at this Asian Games.
“The association fully applies sports science to optimize athletes’ physical fitness and readiness, as well as to aid recovery from injuries, with strong support from the SAT. Thai weightlifters have consistently delivered for the country, and this time is no different. Although facing tough competitors such as China, South Korea, and Indonesia, we believe our athletes—ranked among Asia’s best—will not disappoint. We ask Thai sports fans to cheer us on,” General Wisut said.