In the second and concluding part of sports highlights of 2006, The Nation's Sports Desk looks back on the events in which our national athletes covered themselves with glory. Their efforts were quite outstanding and left us with indelible memories. We wish them and those athletes on the fringes of excellence a successful new year.

Brilliant Pawina

After her remarkable successes in the Athens Olympics and the World Championships, plucky Pawina Thongsuk was in stunning form again this year. She set a world clean-and-jerk record of 142kg in the women's 63kg category at the recent Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Her victory ended a 40-year gold-medal drought in weightlifting for Thailand. Pawina now holds all three world records in her category (snatch 116kg, clean-and-jerk 142kg and total 256kg). Honours followed. Pawina was chosen the Best Female Amateur Athlete of the Year during National Sports Day on December 18.

The Hall of Famer

After Khaosai Galaxy's blistering reign on the world's boxing stage, there have been few Thai boxers of the same calibre as the former World Boxing Association (WBA) junior bantamweight champion, who had a record of 19 successive title defences. Many made an impact but failed to establish themselves in the same class as the Phetchabun-born fighter. However, that is not the case with Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, fighting under the name Pongsaklek Krating-daeng Gym, the World Boxing Council flyweight champion who looks destined to become Khaosai's successor after dominating the division for many years.

The southpaw underlined his supremacy in June by becoming the first Thai boxer to be inducted into the WBC Hall of Fame after emerging the winner in his 15th title defence. Pongsaklek has set his sights on breaking Khaosai's record and the next year looks certainly promising for him should he maintain his stellar performance.

Excellent combo

The mixed badminton duo of Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam remained the Kingdom's biggest hopes in major competitions.

After winning the Philippines Open, they fought tooth and nail to bag a silver medal in the Asian Championships, where they were the reigning champions. In the World Championships in Madrid, Sudket and Saralee showed they were made of sterner stuff by cruising into the semi-finals. However, the Thai pair had to settle for a bronze for the second successive year.

The duo ended the year by handing the Kingdom its lone badminton medal, a bronze, in the Doha Asian Games. They are now ranked third in the world.

Volleyball team shines

The Thai women's volleyball team was grinning from ear to ear despite returning empty-handed from the Asian Games in Doha. They won the Princess Cup for the first time since its inception in 1981. And they won so commandingly that they did not drop a single set in the whole tournament. The Asian Women's Clubs Championship in Manila was another unforgettable experience, where they finished a well-deserved third.

Taekwondo excellence

Forget for a moment the show of Thai taekwondo exponents in the recent Asian Games in Doha. Their collective performance in fact does not appear all that bad, considering they won five medals, including three silver.

The Thai fighters excelled in several major competitions. The Asian Championships in Bangkok, where they claimed two gold medals, was just the beginning. The Thais maintained their brilliant form in the World Team Taekwondo Champion-ships, where they captured three gold medals. Yaowapa Boorapolchai and Rapatkorn Prasopsuk took the women's finweight and women's heavyweight crowns. Patiwat Thongsa-lub was simply superb in the men's lightweight. He went on to win Thailand's lone gold in the World University Games in Turkey.

Awesome strength

Sitthi Charoenrith, who last year became the first Asian to win the gold medal at the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships in Shanghai, flexed his muscles to retain his 80kg crown in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The 33-year-old from Surin maintained his winning streak by capturing an unprecedented gold in the Asian Games. His success has prompted the Olympic Committee of Thailand (OCT) to think of including the sport in the SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima next year.

Reformed playboy

Rarely does one get a second chance. "Bad Boy" Manus Boonjumnong was one of those lucky few to start his life all over again. This time, he never made a false step.

After claiming the gold in the Athens Olympic Games, the Ratchaburi-born boxer over-indulged himself with the riches that came with it. His life was headed towards the pits. But before things became worse, Manus was handed what was his last opportunity to redeem himself when he was recalled into the national team for the Doha Asian Games. Manus rose to the occasion in style, much to the surprise of everyone, including his trainers, and fought his way to the light welterweight title, the solitary gold medal won by the Thai boxing team won in the Asiad.

The protagonist

Danai Udomchoke finally cast off his label as Paradorn Srichaphan's side-kick, taking the whole nation by surprise with his astonishing win in the Asian Games tennis men's singles final. He fought against all the odds to upend South Korean heavy favourite Lee Hyung-taik. The match was beamed live at prime time which allowed families across the country to witness Danai showing his prowess. Instantly, they fell in love with him. For the first time, they realised Thailand had another gifted tennis player apart from "Super Ball".

In fact Danai had a very successful season, reaching a career high of 80 in November and claiming three Challenger trophies. One of his highlights this year included the biggest upset of his career, beating Tommy Haas of Germany in the Davis Cup World Group Play-off on clay in Dusseldorf. The 25-year-old wrapped up 2006 as the most recognisable tennis star in Thailand.