# Puripol Boonson

Puripol Boonson (Thai: ภูริพล บุญสอน, born 13 January 2006) is a Thai sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres. His 200 metres time is the Southeast Asian Games record.

## Career
### 2022

Puripol Boonson first exploits took place during the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam where he clinched golds in the 100m, 200m, and 4 × 100 m relay events.
On 3 June 2022, he established in Yecheon the National record of 4 × 100 m in 38.56 s with Chayut Khongprasit, Siripol Punpa and Soraoat Dapbang.
With a national record of 20.19 s (+1.7 m/s) run in Almaty (KAZ) on 26 June 2022, he realised the AU20R and AU18R. Becoming the third-best youth performance ever, trailing only Erriyon Knighton and Usain Bolt.
This stellar performance earned him a ticket to the 2022 World Athletics Championships, but the Thai Athletics Federation opted to save him for the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships.
On 2 August 2022, he broke the under-18 World's Best Performance of the 100 m with 10.09 s (+0.7 m/s) at the semi-finals of the 2022 World Athletics U20 championships in Cali (Christian Miller of the U.S. recently edged out this record in July 2023, finishing in 10.06 seconds.). He finishes fourth of the final with 10.12 s (+0.8 m/s)

### 2023

In the unfortunate turn of events at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, Boonson suffered a hamstring injury during the 200 meters final. This setback forced him to withdraw from the competition, subsequently sidelining him from the 2023 Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
Returning to the track gradually after his injury, in July 2023, at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Boonson competed in the 4 × 100 m relay event, winning the gold medal with a time of 38.55 seconds. This outstanding performance not only set a new national record, but also a new championship record.
On 30 September 2023, he competed in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, during the 100m semi-final, he matched the under-18 World Best Performances he had lost earlier in the year, clocking in at 10.06 seconds. In the final, he achieved the silver with a time of 10.02 seconds, although the wind was too favourable for his record to be officially recognized.
Concerned about a recurrence of his injury, Boonson, despite qualifying for the 200m semi-finals, only covered a few meters before withdrawing from the race. He chose to conserve himself for the 4 × 100 m relay.
In the relay final, he finished in 4th place with a time of 38.81 seconds, just seven hundredths of a second shy of the bronze medal claimed by South Korea.

### 2024

On May 4, he competes with his team in the 4 × 100 m relay event at the World Relays in Nassau, hoping to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games, but they fail to do so, funding 5th in the second qualifying round.
On June 15, at the Thai Athletics Championships, he takes first place in the 100 m with a time of 10.17 seconds.
With his many races in the United States, Boonson qualifies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris over 100 m, being ranked 47ᵉ in the World Ranking.
He is named flag bearer for the Thai delegation at the 2024 Summer Olympics, alongside 12-year-old skateboarder Vareeraya Sukasem.
At the Paris Olympics, he achieves automatic qualification in the heats by finishing 3rd in 10.13 seconds, behind Jamaican Oblique Seville and Japan's Abdul Hakim Sani Brown. He failed to reach the final, finishing last in his semi-final in 10.14 seconds.
At the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, he wins the 100m silver medal in 10.22 seconds (-0.9).
With this achievement, he becomes the first Thai athlete to win a medal in this category.
In the final of the 4 × 100 m relay, although the Thai team was second to last when Puripol Boonson received the baton, he made a spectacular comeback to take third place, beating the French team by four hundredths. Owing to this performance, Thailand won the bronze medal in 39.39 seconds, setting a new U20 national record.

## Achievements

Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.

### Personal bests

| Distance | Time (s) | Wind | Location | Date | Notes |
| 100 meters | 10.06 | +1.4 m/s | Hangzhou, China | September 30, 2023 | WU18B, AU18B, NR |
| 100 meters | 10.02 w | +2.4 m/s | Hangzhou, China | September 30, 2023 | Wind-assisted |
| 200 meters | 20.19 | +1.7 m/s | Almaty, Kazakhstan | June 26, 2022 | AU20R, AU18B, NR |

### International competitions

Representing  Thailand :
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
| 2022 | SEA Games | Hanoi, Viet Nam | 1st | 100 m | 10.44 | |
| 2022 | SEA Games | Hanoi, Viet Nam | 1st | 200 m | 20.37 | GR |
| 2022 | SEA Games | Hanoi, Viet Nam | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.58 | |
| 2022 | World U20 Championships | Cali, Colombia | 4th | 100 m | 10.12 | |
| 2022 | World U20 Championships | Cali, Colombia | 8th (sf) | 200 m | 20.61 | |
| 2022 | World U20 Championships | Cali, Colombia | 17th (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 42.09 | SB |
| 2022 | 2022 Asian U18 Athletics Championships | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 1st | 100 m | 10.33 | CR |
| 2022 | 2022 Asian U18 Athletics Championships | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 1st | 200 m | 21.53 | |
| 2022 | 2022 Asian U18 Athletics Championships | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 2nd | medley relay | 1:55.82 | |
| 2023 | SEA Games | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | - | 200 m | DNF |
| 2023 | SEA Games | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | - | 100 m | DNS |
| 2023 | 2023 Asian Athletics Championships | Bangkok, Thailand | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.55 | CR, NR |
| 2023 | Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 2nd | 100 m | 10.02 | w |
| 2023 | Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | - (sf) | 200 m | DNF | |
| 2023 | Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 4th | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.81 | |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 21st (sf) | 100 m | 10.14 | |
| 2024 | World U20 Championships | Lima, Peru | 2nd | 100 m | 10.22 | |
| 2024 | World U20 Championships | Lima, Peru | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.39 | NU20R |

### Circuit wins

* World Athletics Continental Tour
** 2022 (200 m): XXXII Qosanov Memorial
** 2024 (100 m): XXXIII Qosanov Memorial