Did you know Sarah Ankomah was once a short-distance sprinter before switching to volleyball and has already joined the senior national team camp?','tags':['sports','volleyball','athlete profile','national team']
"Sarah Ankomah," a Thai-Ghanaian mixed-race athlete and younger sister of Napadet Pinitdee, a Thai men's national volleyball player, used to compete in 100-meter sprints at ages 8-9 and won gold medals. She was regarded as a gem in athletics, trained by head coach Wing Commander Wisanu Sophanit, a former Thai national sprinter, who saw her great potential and compared her to Rewadee Sritao.
The turning point came when Coach Yoon, Wing Commander Monchai Supajirakul, advised Sarah Ankomah, who trained at Thupatemi Stadium, to switch to volleyball, suggesting it could provide better financial support for her family, similar to what he had told her older brother, Napadet Pinitdee.
Napadet once said in an interview, “I used to practice judo, but Coach Yoon told me to switch to volleyball because it would provide a salary to support my family. The judo coach also said I’d be at a disadvantage continuing judo because I’m too tall.” Today, Napadet is a key player on Thailand’s senior men's volleyball team.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ankomah is following in her brother’s footsteps. She also has American heritage, as her mother is Thai-American and her father is Ghanaian. Now 17 years old and 180 centimeters tall, with a strong physique and long limbs ideal for development, she has impressed Feng Kun, a former Chinese national team setter and wife of Coach Ott Kiatpong Ratchakriangkrai, the head coach of Thailand’s women’s national volleyball team, who personally coaches her.
Previously, during the SEA Games, Sarah trained with the national team but then disappeared for a period before returning. At least she has entered the national team system, benefiting from sports science support and receiving experience-sharing from seniors like Pornpun Guedpard and Nattnicha Jaisean. Observers are watching her progress closely from here.