Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Vitidsarn in 2018
Personal information
Nickname(s)View
Three-Game God
CountryThailand
Born (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 23)
Bangkok, Thailand
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
HandednessRight
Men's singles
Career record314 wins, 99 losses
Highest ranking3 (6 June 2023)
Current ranking8 (27 August 2024)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Thailand
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Men's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Copenhagen Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 2022 Tokyo Men's singles
SEA Games
Gold medal – first place 2021 Vietnam Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2021 Vietnam Men's singles
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Yogyakarta Boys' singles
Gold medal – first place 2018 Markham Boys' singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Kazan Boys' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Bilbao Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Kazan Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Suzhou Boys' singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Suzhou Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2018 Jakarta Boys' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Jakarta Boys' singles
Representing International Olympic Committee Mixed-NOCs
Youth Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Buenos Aires Mixed team
BWF profile

Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thai: กุลวุฒิ วิทิตศานต์; simply known as View (Thai: วิว); born 11 May 2001) is a Thai badminton player.[1] He is the current men's singles World Champion as he won the gold medal at the 2023 World Championships,[2] and a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games.[3] He was also three-times World Junior champion, winning in 2017, 2018 and 2019.[4][5][6] He is nicknamed the "Three-Game God" because his playing style requires him to play three games long and always win in the end.[7]

Vitidsarn became the first men's singles player to win three World Junior Championships titles, joining Ratchanok Intanon and Chen Qingchen as a three-time winner of the World Junior title in the same discipline.[8] He claimed the gold medal at the Asian Junior Championships in 2019, where he previously won a silver in 2018 and bronze in 2017.[9] Vitidsarn participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, and was part of the team Omega took the silver medal in the mixed team event.[10] He was named the 2020/2021 Eddy Choong Most Promising Player.[11]

In the senior category, Vitidsarn won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships and, in the following year, the gold medal at the 2023 World Championships.[12] He became the first Thai player to win the World Championships title in the men's singles category.[2] Vitidsarn clinched the gold medal at the 2021 SEA Games.[13] He reached a career high of world number 3 in June 2023.

Vitidsarn achieved a significant milestone by winning a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, after advancing to the final by defeating world number one Shi Yuqi of China.[14] He was ultimately bested by Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the gold medal match.[15] His silver medal made him the first Thai athlete to earn an olympic medal in badminton.[3]

  1. ^ "Players: Kunlavut Vitidsarn". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn and South Korean An Se-young make history at Badminton World Championships". The Straits Times. 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b Waiyahong, Nattanam (5 August 2024). "เจาะลึกเส้นทาง วิว-กุลวุฒิ ประวัติศาสตร์การคว้าเหรียญโอลิมปิกแบดมินตันครั้งแรกของไทย!". Vogue Thailand (in Thai). Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ Amsa-ngiam, Lerpong (22 October 2017). "Teen makes badminton history". The Nation. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  5. ^ Amsa-ngiam, Lerpong (19 November 2018). "Brilliant Kunlavut defends World Junior title". The Nation. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Kunlavut reaches historic milestone". Bangkok Post. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  7. ^ ""วิว" โชว์ฟอร์ม "เทพ 3 เกม" แซงดับญี่ปุ่น ลิ่ว 8 คน ชนมือ 1 ของโลก ศึกขนไก่โอลิมปิกเกมส์". Dailynews (in Thai). 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  8. ^ Morgan, Liam (13 October 2019). "Vitidsarn ready for step up to senior level after victory at BWF World Junior Championships". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Kunlavut finally wins the elusive Badminton Asia junior title". Badminton Asia. 28 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Participants: Vitidsarn Kunlavut". Buenos Aires 2018. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  11. ^ "BWF Player of the Year Award Winners 2020/2021". Badminton World Federation. 3 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Badminton: Axelsen aims higher after claiming second badminton world title". The Straits Times. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Rising Thai star Kunlavut stuns badminton world champion Loh in SEA Games final". Bangkok Post. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  14. ^ "VITIDSARN Kunlavut vs AXELSEN Viktor - Men's Singles Gold Medal Match Match MS161 - Badminton". Paris 2024 Olympics.
  15. ^ "VITIDSARN Kunlavut". Paris 2024 Olympics.