Lieutenant General Khamronwit Thoopkrajang, chairman of the Pathum Thani Provincial Administration, announced on 20/1 at a press conference for the 2026 Pathum Thani Student-Athlete Games that a national athletics coach had informed him of an offer to Puripol. A middle eastern country had reportedly offered millions of baht per month, equivalent to tens of thousands of US dollars, to recruit Puripol to compete for them.

Puripol celebrates after setting a new men's 100m record at Suphachalasai Stadium, bangkok, during the 33rd SEA Games on the afternoon of 11/12/2025. Photo: Duc Dong

Commenting on the situation, Puripol stated he was unaware of the offer until he read news reports citing an older athlete. Despite his surprise, the runner, born in 2006, emphasized he will not change his decision. He was born and raised in thailand and wishes only to represent his homeland in international competitions.

Puripol also expressed openness to competing professionally abroad in the future, particularly in the US, if suitable opportunities arise. However, he affirmed this would be a career choice unrelated to changing nationality or abandoning thailand's colors in national team events.

"I was born in thailand, so I definitely want to compete for thailand. If teams want to sign me for major events like the diamond league without requiring a change of nationality, I might consider it," Sanook quoted Puripol on 22/1.

From a professional standpoint, changing nationality carries consequences. According to World Athletics regulations, if Puripol chooses to change his nationality for competition, he would face a three-year ban from all official events. This means the Thai runner risks missing significant events such as the 2026 asian games, the 2027 asian athletics championships, the 2027 world university games, the 2027 world athletics championships, and the 2028 olympic games.

Puripol achieves 9,94 seconds in the men's 100m qualifying round at the 33rd SEA Games.

Puripol recently cemented his status as a leading star in Thai athletics, winning four gold medals at the 51st Thai University Games - Inthanin Games, held at Maejo University in Chiang Mai. He triumphed in the men's 100m, men's 200m, mixed 4x100m relay, and men's 4x100m relay events.

Previously, the 20-year-old runner gained prominence at the 33rd SEA Games, securing three individual and team gold medals. He broke records in all three events he participated in, notably becoming the first southeast asian athlete to run the 100m in under 10 seconds.

Born in 2006, Puripol is recognized as one of asia's fastest-improving young runners. He possesses significant potential to become a top short-distance athlete in the coming years.

He emerged at the 2021 SEA Games, earning a hat-trick of gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events. In 2022, Puripol consistently improved his personal bests. His 20,19-second run in Almaty set new asian U18 and U20 records, making him the world's third-fastest young athlete, trailing only Erriyon Knighton and Usain Bolt in their teenage years.

Returning from injury in 2023, Puripol quickly won a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the asian championships, setting both a national and championship record of 38,55 seconds. At the 2022 ASIAD in Hangzhou, he earned a silver medal in the 100m with a time of 10,02 seconds.

The year 2024 marked a significant advancement as Puripol qualified for the paris olympics in the 100m event, also serving as one of two flag bearers for the Thai delegation. At those olympic games, he reached the semifinals, achieving a time of 10,14 seconds. Later that year, Puripol made history by becoming the first Thai athlete to win medals at the U20 world championships: a silver in the 100m (10,22 seconds) and a bronze in the 4x100m relay, setting a national U20 record of 39,39 seconds.

Hong Duy (according to Sanook)