Tracing the journey from world champion to ASEAN champion of "Yu Ballang Thabtimdaeng," Thailand's national taekwondo athlete from Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The moment "Yu" Ballang Thabtimdaeng clinched the gold medal in the 68 kg men's category at the Southeast Asian regional multi-sport event, after defeating Nuser Lao from the Philippines in the final with scores of 11-5 and 18-2. This marked Ballang's first gold in this competition and added to his list of championship titles.
Looking back at his success, 20-year-old "Yu" Ballang Thabtimdaeng from Prachuap Khiri Khan won the gold medal in the 68 kg men's category at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, becoming the second Thai male taekwondo athlete to earn gold at the Asian Games after his current coach, Chatchawan Khaolaor, who won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
This year, "Yu" Ballang Thabtimdaeng became the 68 kg men's World Taekwondo Champion at the 2025 Wuxi World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, China. He made history as Thailand’s sixth world champion in taekwondo and only the second male athlete to win a world title, having previously won silver in 2023.
At the 2024 Asian Championships in Da Nang, Vietnam, "Yu" Ballang Thabtimdaeng earned a silver medal after narrowly losing to Jin Hojun from South Korea in the final. He also won gold at the 2025 Summer Universiade in the 68 kg men's category, and most recently secured gold at the 2025 ASEAN Games hosted by Thailand.
This leaves "Yu" Ballang Thabtimdaeng with two remaining goals: a gold medal at the Asian Championships and an Olympic gold medal, both of which represent major challenges and milestones he is determined to achieve in pursuit of his dreams.