Payao Poontarat ( th, พเยาว์ พูนธรัตน์; ; October 18, 1956 – August 13, 2006) was a Thai boxer who, at the age of 18, won the bronze medal in the men's

Light flyweight Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing. Professional boxing The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920, ...

(-48 kg) category at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

. He was the first Thai athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport.

1976 Olympic results

Below is the record of Payao Poontarat, a Thai light flyweight boxer who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics: * Defeated Remus Cosma (Romania) by decision, 4-1 * Defeated Aleksandr Tkachenko (Soviet Union) by decision, 3-2 * Defeated György Gedó (Hungary) by decision, 4-1 * Lost to

Li Byong-Uk Ri Byong-uk (born November 7, 1954) is a retired North Korean boxer, who won two Olympic medals in the men's Light Flyweight (48 kg) category. Olympic results 1976 * Defeated Sidney McKnight (Canada) KO 1 * Defeated Henryk Średnicki ...

(North Korea) referee stooped contest in the second round (was awarded a bronze medal)

Boxing career

Born in the village of Bang Sapan,

Prachuap Khiri Khan Prachuap Khiri Khan ( th, ประจวบคีรีขันธ์, ) is a town in western Thailand. It is the capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and is on the coast at one of the narrowest stretches in Thailand, only from the border ...

, Phayao Poontarat came from a poor family. As a child, he sold flowers in the resort city of Pattaya to help support his younger siblings. Like many poor boys in Thailand, he took up Muay Thai, and he proved to be a gifted boxer under the ring name "Petchpayao Sitkrutat" (เพชรพะเยาว์ ศิษย์ครูทัศน์). He switched to international boxing and won a place on the Thai Olympic team in 1976. Though he finished with a bronze medal, Phayao gained attention by defeating the 1972 Olympic gold medal winner, Gyogy Gedo, in the quarter finals. He trained hard for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but his hopes for a gold were ended by the United States led boycott over of the Soviet Union's invasion of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Instead, he turned professional and on November 27, 1983 became WBC superflyweight world champion by defeating

Rafael Orono Jesus Rafael Orono (born August 30, 1958) is a former super flyweight boxing champion from Venezuela. Amateur career Born in Patono, Sucre, Orono began as an amateur and compiled a record of 49 wins and 8 losses.Mike DeLisa of www.cyberboxingzon ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in a split decision. In his first title defence, against Guty Espadas of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Phayao was behind on all the score cards, but saved his championship belt with a 10th-round knockout. Phayao was then challenged by Japan's Jiro Watanabe and agreed to meet him. When they met in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

on July 5, 1984 Phayao lost by a controversial 12-round decision. The World Boxing Council viewed the tape and ordered a rematch. It took place in November, with Phayao losing by a technical knockout in the 11th round.

Political career

Giving up boxing, Phayao Poontarat became a Thai policeman with the rank of captain. He joined the Democrat Party and in 2001 was elected as member of parliament for his home-province.

Personal life and death

In 2002, he began to suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as

Lou Gehrig's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

. The disease is incurable. In 2006, Phayao died at the age of 48 at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. He was survived by his wife and several children.Obituary in ''The Nation''

Professional boxing record

Muay Thai record

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Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

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Rajadamnern Stadium Rajadamnern Stadium ( th, สนามมวยราชดำเนิน; ), also spelled ''Ratchadamnoen'', is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern m ...

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References

External links

*
Professional record on Cyber Zone Boxing Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poontarat, Payao 1957 births 2006 deaths Neurological disease deaths in Thailand Deaths from motor neuron disease Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Payao Poontarat Payao Poontarat Super-flyweight boxers World super-flyweight boxing champions World Boxing Council champions Payao Poontarat Payao Poontarat Payao Poontarat Olympic medalists in boxing Payao Poontarat Payao Poontarat Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Southeast Asian Games medalists in boxing