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Thai sprint athlete Puripol Boonson (R) and Chinese track star Chen Yujie. Photo by Instagram/@chenyujie081229 |
Following their standout performances at the 2026 Asian Games, the two young athletes became the center of online speculation. Fans enthusiastically shipped the duo, sharing photos of them together and expressing hopes for a real-life relationship.
However, after securing a silver medal in his final event, Boonson clarified the situation. He emphasized that they are strictly professional colleagues and asked the online community to stop the romantic speculation to avoid complications in his personal life.
“There are rumors pairing me with Chen Yujie. Please don’t do that; we are just friends. My girlfriend might get upset about this,” Boonson told Khaosod on Sept. 29.
The 20-year-old Thai sprinter is widely considered one of Asia’s premier track talents. He rose to prominence at the 2021 SEA Games with three gold medals before dominating the Asian Games this year.
Boonson made history in the men’s 100m, winning gold with a time of 9.90 seconds.
On Sept. 25, he broke the Asian Games record twice in a single day, becoming the first Southeast Asian athlete to break the 10-second barrier. This milestone placed him second on the all-time Asian list, trailing only China’s Su Bingtian (9.83 seconds).
Two days later, Boonson secured the 200m gold with a time of 19.88 seconds, matching Xie Zhenye’s 2019 Asian record and becoming the first Southeast Asian to run under 20 seconds.
Chen emerged as another standout talent at the Games. The 17-year-old Chinese runner captivated fans with her charming appearance and elite athletic ability.
In the women’s 100m final on Sept. 25, Chen captured gold with a time of 11.06 seconds. The performance shattered a 24-year-old Asian Games record, broke her own Asian U20 mark, and allowed her to defeat defending champion Shanti Pereira of Singapore. Chen later added a silver medal in the 200m, clocking 22.93 seconds to finish behind Pereira.