The Trang-born exponent, who was considered one of the gold medal prospects, suffered a knee injury during his quarter-final defeat against Chinese Wang Hao in the Asian Games and is yet to recover fully from it. Since the championships are just a fortnight away, the Taekwondo Association of Thailand (TAT) does not want to take a risk by including him.

TAT advisor Pricha Thotrakul said: "He has a major problem and needs more time to recover. We want to make sure he is fully fit before taking part in future tournaments.

"We are however confident that he will be ready to travel with the Thai team to participate in another Olympic qualification round in September in London," he added.

Pricha said Yaowapa Boorapolchai, the Athens Olympics heroine and Asian champion, will lead the Thai assault. The 12-member Thai squad has been training intensively under the close supervision of Korean coach Choi Young-seuk, who played a vital role in Yaowapa's success in the Athens Games.

"Last year, we claimed three gold medals at home. But this time we are competing in Beijing and therefore have set a modest target of one gold," Pricha said.

Teerapot Taweewanabul

The Nation