“Thip” Kaewkalaya Kamulthala, a female volleyball player for Thailand's national team, opened up after being named to the team again. She admitted feeling both surprised and shocked because she did not expect to return to the national camp. She also revealed that the first people she told about the good news were her family members.
On 12 May 2026, Kaewkalaya shared that she felt very happy and honored to be able to serve the country again, both for herself and her family.
"I felt very surprised and shocked. I did not think I would get back into the national camp. When I got the news, the first thing I did was tell my family. I feel very happy and honored, both for myself and my family," she said.
She also saw that the development of her skills and performance in last season's professional league were key factors that made the coaching staff recognize her potential again after she had previously been dropped from the national camp.
"After being dropped from the national camp, I focused fully on the professional league and tried to perform my best. This year, my performance was quite good, so I think that was the point that made the coach notice me."
In addition, Kaewkalaya spoke about the atmosphere of returning to the national team, saying that although she felt like a newcomer joining mid-season, her familiarity with both senior and junior teammates made it easy to adjust and enjoy team activities.
She also expressed her joy and the meaningfulness of playing again alongside "Nan Thaddao," a friend from high school.
As for her goals this year, she intends to perform her best without putting too much pressure on herself and to help the team as much as possible in this competition.