Kunlavut Vitidsarn Explained

Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Nickname:	View Three-Game God
Country:	Thailand
Birth Date:	2001 5, df=yes
Birth Place:	Bangkok, Thailand
Height:	1.77 m
Handedness:	Right
Event:	Men's singles
Career Record:	373 wins, 133 losses
Highest Ranking:	3
Date Of Highest Ranking:	6 June 2023
Current Ranking:	4
Date Of Current Ranking:	19 August 2024
Bwf Id:	66BFCA58-F3D2-40A2-9454-F1E0470675CF

Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thai: กุลวุฒิ วิทิตศานต์; simply known as View (Thai: วิว); born 11 May 2001) is a Thai badminton player.^[1] He is the current men's singles World Champion as he won the gold medal at the 2023 World Championships,^[2] and a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games.^[3] He was also three-times World Junior champion, winning in 2017, 2018 and 2019.^{[4] [5] [6]} He is nicknamed the "Three-Game God" because his playing style requires him to play three games long and always win in the end.^[7]

Vitidsarn became the first men's singles player to win three World Junior Championships titles, joining Ratchanok Intanon and Chen Qingchen as a three-time winner of the World Junior title in the same discipline.^[8] He claimed the gold medal at the Asian Junior Championships in 2019, where he previously won a silver in 2018 and bronze in 2017.^[9] Vitidsarn participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, and was part of the team Omega took the silver medal in the mixed team event.^[10] He was named the 2020/2021 Eddy Choong Most Promising Player.^[11]

In the senior category, Vitidsarn won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships and, in the following year, the gold medal at the 2023 World Championships.^[12] He became the first Thai player to win the World Championships title in the men's singles category. Vitidsarn clinched the gold medal at the 2021 SEA Games.^[13] He reached a career high of world number 3 in June 2023.

Vitidsarn achieved a significant milestone by winning the silver medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics,^[14] advancing to the finals by defeating the world number one Shi Yuqi of China along the way. He was ultimately bested by Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the gold medal match.^[15] That made him the first Thai Olympic medalist badminton player.^[3]

Achievements

Olympic Games

Men's singles

BWF World Championships

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2022	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan	Viktor Axelsen	5–21, 16–21	Silver
2023	Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark	Kodai Naraoka	19–21, 21–18, 21–7	Gold

Southeast Asian Games

Men's singles

BWF World Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	Among Rogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, Indonesia	Leong Jun Hao	17–21, 21–15, 21–9	Gold
2018	Markham Pan Am Centre, Markham, Canada	Kodai Naraoka	21–9, 21–11	Gold
2019	Kazan Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia	Christo Popov	21–8, 21–11	Gold

Asian Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	Jaya Raya Sports Hall Training Center, Jakarta, Indonesia	Leong Jun Hao	21–19, 14–21, 21–23	Bronze
2018	Jaya Raya Sports Hall Training Center, Jakarta, Indonesia	Lakshya Sen	19–21, 18–21	Silver
2019	Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Suzhou, China	Liu Liang	21–14, 21–13	Gold

BWF World Tour (3 titles, 5 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,^[16] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.^[17]

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Level	Opponent	Score	Result
2020	Spain Masters	Super 300	Viktor Axelsen	16–21, 13–21	Runner-up
2021	Swiss Open	Super 300	Viktor Axelsen	16–21, 6–21	Runner-up
2021	BWF World Tour Finals	World Tour Finals	Viktor Axelsen	12–21, 8–21	Runner-up
2022	German Open	Super 300	Lakshya Sen	21–18, 21–15	Winner
2023	India Open	Super 750	Viktor Axelsen	22–20, 10–21, 21–12	Winner
2023	Thailand Open	Super 500	Lee Cheuk Yiu	21–12, 21–10	Winner
2023	U.S. Open	Super 300	Li Shifeng	15–21, 18–21	Runner-up
2024	French Open	Super 750	Shi Yuqi	20–22, 19–21	Runner-up

BWF International Challenge/Series (5 titles, 2 runners-up)

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2018	India International	Lakshya Sen	15–21, 10–21	Runner-up
2018	Nepal International	Soo Teck Zhi	20–22, 22–20, 21–9	Winner
2019	Iran Fajr International	Li Shifeng	21–18, 21–17	Winner
2019	Polish Open	Lakshya Sen	21–17, 21–14	Winner
2019	Finnish Open	Lin Chun-yi	21–16, 18–21, 21–14	Winner
2019	Spanish International	Toby Penty	21–14, 21–14	Winner
2019	Mongolia International	Kodai Naraoka	21–9, 17–21, 21–23	Runner-up

BWF International Challenge tournament

BWF International Series tournament

BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (11 titles, 2 runners-up)

Boys' singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	Banthongyord Junior International	Fong Hau Sim	21–14, 21–13	Winner
2017	Jaya Raya Junior International	Ikhsan Rumbay	21–17, 21–7	Winner
2017	India Junior International	B. M. Rahul Bharadwaj	21–16, 21–11	Winner
2017	Singapore Youth International	Joel Koh	21–13, 21–13	Winner
2018	Dutch Junior International	Li Shifeng	21–18, 21–14	Winner
2018	German Junior International	Li Shifeng	21–15, 21–11	Winner
2018	Jaya Raya Junior International	Ikhsan Rumbay	21–14, 21–9	Winner
2018	Banthongyord Junior International	Jason Teh	21–16, 21–15	Winner
2019	Banthongyord Junior International	Bobby Setiabudi	21–16, 26–24	Winner

Boys' doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2015	White Nights Junior International	Pacharapol Nipornram	Rodion Alimov Pavel Kotsarenko	21–14, 21–23, 13–21	Runner-up
2017	India Junior International	Pacharapol Nipornram	Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto Rinov Rivaldy	9–21, 13–21	Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2018	Banthongyord Junior International	Phittayaporn Chaiwan	Hiroki Midorikawa Natsu Saito	23–21, 21–18	Winner
2019	Banthongyord Junior International	Phittayaporn Chaiwan	Di Zijian Li Yijing	21–11, 21–17	Winner

BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament

BWF Junior International Challenge tournament

BWF Junior International Series tournament

BWF Junior Future Series tournament

Performance timeline

National team

• Junior level

Team events	2017	2018	2019
Asian Junior Championships	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=gold	G
World Junior Championships	bgcolor=AFEEEE	7th	bgcolor=AFEEEE	9th	bgcolor=CD7F32	B

• Senior level

Team events	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Ref
SEA Games	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=gold	G	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH
Asia Team Championships	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	A
Asia Mixed Team Championships	A	style=color:#ccc		A	NH			A	style=color:#ccc	NH
Asian Games	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	NH			bgcolor=AFEEEE	QR	NH
Thomas Cup	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=AFEEEE	RR	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=AFEEEE	RR	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=AFEEEE	RR
Sudirman Cup	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	style=color:#ccc	NH

Individual competitions

• Junior level

Events	2016	2017	2018	2019	Ref
Asian Junior Championships	A	bgcolor=CD7F32	B	bgcolor=silver	S	bgcolor=gold	G	^[18]
World Junior Championships	bgcolor=AFEEEE	4R	bgcolor=gold	G	bgcolor=gold	G	bgcolor=gold	G

• Senior level

Events	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	Ref
SEA Games	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=gold	G	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	style=color:#ccc	NH	^[19]
Asian Championships	A			NH		A	bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF
Asian Games	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	NH			bgcolor=AFEEEE	3R	NH
World Championships				style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=AFEEEE	1R	bgcolor=silver	S	bgcolor=gold	G	style=color:#ccc	NH
Olympic Games	NH				NH			bgcolor=silver	S

Tournament											Best	Ref
	2015	2016	2017							2024
align=left	Malaysia Open	A					NH		bgcolor=FFFF00	SF	bgcolor=FFFF00	SF	bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R	bgcolor=FFFF00	SF ('22, '23)
align=left	India Open	A					NH		A	bgcolor=00FF00	W	bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R	bgcolor=00FF00	W ('23)	^[20]
align=left	Indonesia Masters	A		style=color:#ccc	NH	A			bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=AFEEEE	1R	A	bgcolor=FFFF00	SF	bgcolor=FFEBCD	SF ('24)
align=left	Thailand Masters	style=color:#ccc	NH	A	bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R	A	bgcolor=AFEEEE	1R	bgcolor=FFFF00	SF	NH		A		bgcolor=FFFF00	SF ('20)
German Open	A					NH		W	1R	A	W ('22)	^[21]
align=left	French Open	A					style=color:#ccc	NH	bgcolor=AFEEEE	1R	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=D8BFD8	F	bgcolor=D8BFD8	F ('24)	^[22]
All England Open	A					1R	1R	2R	2R	2R	2R ('22, '23, '24)
Orléans Masters	A				3R	NH	SF	A			SF ('21)
Swiss Open	A					NH	F	A			F ('21)	^[23]
Spain Masters	A					F	A	NH	A		F ('20)
Thailand Open	1R	A	3R	A		2R	NH	A	W	SF	W ('23)	^[24]
						2R
Malaysia Masters	A						NH		2R		2R ('23)
Singapore Open	A					NH		A	SF	A	SF ('23)
Indonesia Open	A					NH	1R	1R		SF	SF ('24)
U.S. Open	A					NH			F	A	F ('23)	^[25]
Canada Open	A					NH		A	1R	A	1R ('23)
Japan Open	A					NH		2R	QF		QF ('23)
Korea Open	A				1R	NH		QF	A		QF ('22)
Chinese Taipei Open	A				1R	NH		A			1R ('19)
Hong Kong Open	A					NH					–
Vietnam Open	A	2R	1R	A	2R	NH		A			2R ('16, '19)
China Open	A					NH					–
Macau Open	A				QF	NH					QF ('19)
Arctic Open	N/A					NH			1R		1R ('23)
Denmark Open	A						1R	1R	1R		1R ('21, '22, '23)
align=left	Hylo Open	A						bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	A		bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF ('21, '22)
align=left	Korea Masters	A				bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R	NH		A			bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R ('19)
align=left	China Masters	A					NH			bgcolor=AFEEEE			bgcolor=AFEEEE	2R ('23)
align=left	Syed Modi International	A				bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF	NH		A			bgcolor=FFEBCD	QF ('18)
align=left	Superseries / Tour Finals							bgcolor=D8BFD8	F		bgcolor=AFEEEE	RR		bgcolor=D8BFD8	F ('21)	^[26]
align=left	Year-end ranking	639	421	219	124	40	29	20	10	7	3
Tournament	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	Best	Ref

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 6 August 2024.^[27]

Player	Matches	Win	Lost
Lin Dan	2	0	2	–2
Shi Yuqi	5	2	3	–1
Zhao Junpeng	2	2	0	+2
Chou Tien-chen	4	2	2	0
Anders Antonsen	6	1	5	–4
Viktor Axelsen	7	1	6	–5
Hans-Kristian Vittinghus	1	1	0	+1
B. Sai Praneeth	1	1	0	+1
Srikanth Kidambi	5	4	1	+3
Parupalli Kashyap	2	2	0	+2
Prannoy H. S.	3	3	0	+3

Player	Matches	Win	Lost
Lakshya Sen	11	7	4	+3
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting	6	3	3	0
Sony Dwi Kuncoro	2	1	1	0
Kento Momota	3	1	2	–1
Kodai Naraoka	7	4	3	+1
Lee Zii Jia	9	5	4	+1
Loh Kean Yew	6	5	1	+4
Heo Kwang-hee	2	1	1	0
Kantaphon Wangcharoen	4	2	2	0
Nguyễn Tiến Minh	1	0	1	–1

External links

• • • https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/kunlavut-vitidsarn_19262943

Notes and References

1. Web site: Players: Kunlavut Vitidsarn . . 23 October 2017 . 27 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230827223634/https://bwfbadminton.com/player/64032/kunlavut-vitidsarn . live .
2. News: Thai Kunlavut Vitidsarn and South Korean An Se-young make history at Badminton World Championships . . 28 August 2023 . 29 August 2023 . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112654/https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/thai-kunlavut-vitidsarn-and-south-korean-an-se-young-make-history-at-badminton-world-championships . live .
3. Web site: thai . 2024-08-06 . 2024-08-05 . เจาะลึกเส้นทาง วิว-กุลวุฒิ ประวัติศาสตร์การคว้าเหรียญโอลิมปิกแบดมินตันครั้งแรกของไทย!. Nattanam. Waiyahong. Vogue Thailand.
4. Web site: Lerpong . Amsa-ngiam . Teen makes badminton history . . 22 October 2017 . 23 October 2017 . 31 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042650/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/sports/30329879 . dead .
5. News: Lerpong . Amsa-ngiam . Brilliant Kunlavut defends World Junior title . 17 May 2024 . . 19 November 2018 . 17 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240517175554/https://www.nationthailand.com/life/30358836 . live .
6. News: Kunlavut reaches historic milestone . . 14 October 2019 . 14 October 2019 . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112708/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/1771374/kunlavut-reaches-historic-milestone . live .
7. Web site: thai. 2024-08-01. 2024-08-03. "วิว" โชว์ฟอร์ม "เทพ 3 เกม" แซงดับญี่ปุ่น ลิ่ว 8 คน ชนมือ 1 ของโลก ศึกขนไก่โอลิมปิกเกมส์. Dailynews. 2 August 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240802211307/https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/3709425/. live.
8. Web site: Liam . Morgan . Vitidsarn ready for step up to senior level after victory at BWF World Junior Championships . Inside the Games . 13 October 2019 . 14 October 2019 . 8 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230508170739/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1085910/vitidsarn-wins-bwf-world-junior-title . live .
9. Web site: Kunlavut finally wins the elusive Badminton Asia junior title . . 28 July 2019 . 5 October 2019 . 6 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230506231514/https://www.badmintonasia.org/updates/news/kunlavut-finally-wins-the-elusive-badminton-asia-junior-title . live .
10. Web site: Participants: Vitidsarn Kunlavut . Buenos Aires 2018 . 13 October 2018 . 14 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181014010203/https://www.buenosaires2018.com/results/en/badminton/athlete-profile-n1016329-vitidsarn-kunlavut.htm?lng=id . dead .
11. Web site: BWF Player of the Year Award Winners 2020/2021 . Badminton World Federation . 3 December 2021 . 12 December 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205054521/https://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2021/12/03/bwf-player-of-the-year-award-winners-2020-2021/ . 5 December 2021.
12. Web site: 28 August 2022 . Badminton: Axelsen aims higher after claiming second badminton world title . 21 October 2022 . . 21 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221021212804/https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/badminton-axelsen-aims-higher-after-claiming-second-badminton-world-title . live .
13. News: Rising Thai star Kunlavut stuns badminton world champion Loh in SEA Games final . Bangkok Post . 22 May 2022 . 24 April 2024 . 24 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240424203627/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2313986/rising-thai-star-kunlavut-stuns-badminton-world-champion-loh-in-sea-games-final . live .
14. Web site: Paris Olympic Results.
15. Web site: Paris Olympic Athlete Profile.
16. Web site: Alleyne . Gayle . BWF Launches New Events Structure . . 19 March 2017 . 29 November 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201164159/http://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2017/03/19/bwf-launches-new-event-structure/ . 1 December 2017.
17. Web site: Sukumar . Dev . Action-Packed Season Ahead! . Badminton World Federation . 10 January 2018 . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180113162925/http://bwfworldtour.com/news-single/2018/01/10/action-packed-season-ahead/ . 13 January 2018.
18. News: Kunlavut's Asian title dream a reality . 17 May 2024 . Bangkok Post . 29 July 2019 . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112704/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/1720535/kunlavuts-asian-title-dream-a-reality . live .
19. News: Rising Thai star Kunlavut stuns badminton world champion Loh in SEA Games final . 29 August 2023 . Bangkok Post . 22 May 2022 . 29 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230829154225/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2313986 . live .
20. News: Kunlavut beats world No 1 Axelsen to win India Open badminton title . 29 August 2023 . The Nation . 23 January 2023 . 29 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230829154226/https://www.nationthailand.com/lifestyle/sport/40024254 . live .
21. News: Kunlavut lands maiden crown . 29 August 2023 . Bangkok Post . 15 March 2022 . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112704/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2279167/kunlavut-lands-maiden-crown . live .
22. News: Kunlavut's hopes for Paris title dashed by China's Shi . 17 May 2024 . Bangkok Post . 12 March 2024 . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112703/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2757094/kunlavuts-hopes-for-paris-title-dashed-by-chinas-shi . live .
23. News: Palar . Sanjeev . Viktor Axelsen starts new season with Swiss Open triumph . 30 August 2023 . International Olympic Committee . 4 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240804112702/https://olympics.com/en/news/badminton-viktor-axelsen-wins-swiss-open-season-opener . live .
24. News: Kunlavut Vitidsarn wins Thailand Open badminton final . 29 August 2023 . Bangkok Post . 4 June 2023 . 29 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230829155731/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2584849 . live .
25. News: Supanida gets her due at US Open . 30 August 2023 . Bangkok Post . 18 July 2023 . 30 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830143608/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2613029/supanida-gets-her-due-at-us-open . live .
26. News: Dechapol and Sapsiree make history . 30 August 2023 . Bangkok Post . 6 December 2021 . 30 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830143553/https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2227155/dechapol-and-sapsiree-make-history . live .
27. Web site: Kunlavut Vitidsarn Profile – Head To Head . bwf.tournamentsoftware.com . Badminton World Federation . 6 August 2024 . 5 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231105040325/https://bwf.tournamentsoftware.com/head-2-head?OrganizationCode=209B123F-AA87-41A2-BC3E-CB57133E64CC&T1P1MemberID=64032 . live .