Thai weightlifter's grandmother dies celebrating his medal-winning performance
The thrill of triumph for an Olympic bronze medal-winning Thai weightlifter was met with dire agony.
Sinphet Kruaithong became the first male Thai weightlifter to medal at the Olympics, capturing third place in the 56-kilogram division in Rio de Janeiro, and his hometown of Surin erupted in elation. But Sunday’s celebration turned to tragedy when his grandmother collapsed and died amid the hysteria.
“The initial assumption is that she died from heart failure — but we have to wait for the hospital’s result,” Surin police officer Somwang Prangprakoan told AFP. “I’m not sure if she was too excited, or if maybe she was already ill.”
Listed at 82 years old by the Bangkok Post and 84 by AFP, Subin Khongthap fainted at a live viewing party in Surin’s Chumphon Buri District. The Bangkok Post reported she did not witness her grandson win bronze, but regained consciousness before being rushed to the hospital, where she died an hour later.
“I cheer him on, fight fight!” Subin told the local media prior to the event, according to AFP. “I miss my grandson and want him to be successful. He does this for the country to bring the gold medal back.”
The 121-pound Sinphet lifted 289 kilograms (roughly 637 pounds) to finish third behind China’s Long Qingquan and North Korea’s Om Yun Chol. Sinphet’s mother, Chan Kruaithong, told Thai PBS the family will hold both a welcome ceremony for her son and a religious ceremony for his grandmother.
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