“Biw” Phuripol Boonsorn revealed the challenges he encountered despite advancing to the men's 60-meter final at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China.
On 24 Apr 2026, the 6th Asian Beach Games “Sanya 2026” took place in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. On the first day of beach athletics, two gold medals were contested. Thai athletes aimed for gold in the women's long jump with two competitors: Prinya Chuaymalaeng and Supawat Chuthong. Both passed the first round with four jumps to reach the top eight. In this round, Prinya achieved her best mark of 5.72 meters, ranking 6th, while Supawat ranked 7th with 5.66 meters. The gold medal went to Hang Thi Thuy from Vietnam with 6.16 meters, silver to Alucchi Wickramasinghe from Sri Lanka with 5.87 meters, and bronze to Ishani Chashikala Galabadage, also from Sri Lanka, with 5.83 meters.
“Biw” Phuripol Boonsorn successfully qualified for the men's 60-meter final at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, recording a time of 6.78 seconds. He admitted he was still getting used to the distance and running on sand but was ready to give his best effort. Meanwhile, “Bell” Jirapach Chanonta was outstanding in the women's 60-meter race, breaking the competition record with a time of 7.45 seconds and advancing to the final alongside Suphanich Phulkerd. Both expressed happiness despite technical areas needing improvement, promising to do their best in the final.
In the women's 60-meter qualifying round, Thai sprinter Suphanich Phulkerd advanced to the final with a qualifying time of 7.73 seconds. Jirapach Chanonta finished first in her heat with a time of 7.45 seconds, setting the best record in Asian Beach Games history, breaking the previous record of 7.60 seconds set by Vietnamese athlete Shin Tu Le in 2016.
After the race, “Biw” Phuripol Boonsorn said, “This is my first time running on sand and in the 60-meter distance, but I’m satisfied with my qualifying time, which is fairly good. The challenge I faced running on sand was the bounce, which felt unfamiliar but did not affect my running. In the final, I will try my best.”
“Bell” Jirapach Chanonta commented, “I’m very happy to have set a new competition record. I acknowledge there are still areas to improve, especially at the start and running on sand. I will work on these to perform my best in the final.”