On the evening of Tuesday, 22 July at Lohrheidestadion in Bochum, the men’s 100m competition of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games came to a close. The spotlight turned, in part, to Thailand’s Puripol Boonson, who claimed silver in the athletics sprint event to roaring cheers and waving flags.
Just beyond the finish line, away from the celebrations, beyond the camera’s frame — stood another Thai sprinter. Quieter. Out of focus. But carrying a journey just as powerful.
Thawatchai Himaiad, 21, had bowed out in the semifinals. No podium. No anthem.
Only a story that began on a gravel path in a small town, with a pair of second hand shoes, and a dream no one else could see.
500 baht at the start line
Born and raised in Chaiyaphum, a quiet province in northeastern Thailand, Himaiad grew up in a humble home where his parents sold vegetables to make ends meet.
He describes his teenage years simply: “Just a kid who didn’t know what to do after high school.”
That changed when his school principal, Niwet Tanguhtaisuk, offered him a chance — join the athletics team in exchange for extra school credit. What began as an incentive became a lifeline.
Tanguhtaisuk didn’t just encourage him. He took him in, trained him, fed him, and bought him his first pair of running shoes.
They were second hand, found on Facebook for 500 baht. Worn, but priceless.
Himaiad wore them everywhere — at dusty school meets, through provincial qualifiers, even on the national stage. For nearly three years, they were his only cleats.
“We didn’t have a real track,” he said. “Just gravel and dirt. But I stayed focused. I turned off my phone at 8 p.m. every night and trained.”
Chasing more than medals
In 2022, Himaiad traveled to Colombia for the World Athletics U20 Championships — his first-ever international competition. Though originally listed as a relay alternate, he was unexpectedly given the chance to run the individual 200m.
He stood at the starting line beside athletes taller, faster, better-funded. But the boy from Chaiyaphum defied expectations. He advanced to the semifinals — and ran a race that changed his life.
The following year, at the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, he finally stepped onto the podium.
Silver. Bronze.
What he remembers most is the way his grandmother quietly wiped her eyes as he stepped off the podium. When asked what drives him, Himaiad smiled shyly, opened a translation app, and typed a single word:
“Family.”
Running towards a bigger goal
Now in his final year of physical education studies at Rajamangala University of Technology and serving in the Royal Thai Air Force, Himaiad balances national team training with military duty.
His dream isn’t Olympic glory. It isn’t world records.
His dream is to build a simple one-story house where his parents and two younger brothers can live together. “They saw what running gave me,” he said. “Now they want to run too.”
Inspired by their older brother, his siblings have taken up track at the same school — chasing the path he helped carve, one step at a time.
Still running
Here at Rhine-Ruhr 2025, no 100m final for Himaiad. No medal. Still, it was a stride forward.
As he recounted his journey, a nearby screen showed his teammate Boonson crossing the finish line in second place in the final..
“I’m proud of him,” Himaiad said softly. “We’re not close, but I’m happy he made it.”
His next race in Bochum is the 4x100m relay, starting with heats on Saturday, 26 July. In his first FISU Games appearance at Chengdu 2023, he helped Thailand capture silver in the event.
Another chance to compete. Another chance to dream. Before every race, Himaiad makes a silent wish. Not to a god. Not to the crowd. But to himself. A quiet promise: to do his best. To honour the journey. To keep running — for those who believed in him when no one else did.
Because long before Germany, before medals, before national teams — there was just a boy. Barefoot on a gravel track. Running with second hand shoes. Chasing a dream no one thought was his to claim.
The shoes were second hand.
The dream was not.
South Africa’s Bayanda Joy Walaza won Tuesday night’s men’s 100m in 10.16 seconds. Boonson (10.22) and Japan’s Hiroki Yanagita (10.23) followed at the line.
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Soyoung Bang, FISU Young Reporter, Korea
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.
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