Somluck Kamsing

Somrak Kamsing (Thai: สมรักษ์ คำสิงห์; born January 16, 1973) or Somluck Kamsing (name used in the Olympics), known professionally as Pimaranlek Sitaran (Thai: พิมพ์อรัญเล็ก ศิษย์อรัญ), is a Thai retired Muay Thai fighter, amateur boxer, entertainer, and politician. He is a four-time Olympian in amateur boxing who won a gold medal in 1996.^[2] During the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, Kamsing lit the torch during the Games' opening ceremony. His is also the younger brother of Somrot Kamsing, another retired Muay Thai fighter and Olympian in amateur boxing. Somrak is widely considered one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time.^[3][4][5][6]

Somluck started to compete in amateur boxing in parallel as his muay thai career, he earned a bronze medal at the 1989 King's Cup and a gold medal in the 1995 edition. At the 1996 Summer Olympics he won a gold medal in the men's Featherweight category, beating Ramaz Paliani and Serafim Todorov among others, becoming the first Thai athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

He also competed at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics without winning any medals. Somluck placed second at the 1st AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Guangzhou, China. In the final, he lost to North Korea's Kim Song-Guk. Having reached the final, however, he qualified for the Athens Games.

At age 7, Somluck began training and fighting in Muay Thai. At 11, he moved to Bangkok to fight in the bigger stadiums under the name Pimaranlek Sitaran. Prior to switching to amateur boxing he was viewed as one of the best fighters in the sport. He didn't compete competitively in Thailand after making the switch, but he did take up the occasional fight against foreign fighters.^[7]

In 2012 he made a return to the major boxing stadiums, not as a serious fighter, but to fight other semi-retired legends in hopes of attracting people to the sport. He beat fellow legend Jomhod Kiatadisak on October 4, 2012 at Rajadamnern Stadium in a fight with the largest ever side bet in Muay Thai, 5.27 million baht on the line.^[8]

They fought again on December 7, 2012 on the Lumpinee stadium birthday show. This time Jomhod Kiatadisak won by points.

They fought third match with a 6 million baht side bet on February 7, 2013 and Somluck won again by decision.^[9][10]

However, he lost to American Nak Muay Chike Lindsay by unanimous decision in a modified Thai boxing Push Kick: World Stand Off in Pomona, California, on March 2, 2013.^[11]

Somluck fought to a draw with another legend, Yodwanpadet Sor Junlasen under special rules, at Rajadamnern Stadium on 2 April 2015. Somluck was only allowed to punch while Yodwanpadet could fight full Muay Thai.^[12]

He has later played athletic roles in Thai movies, notably Kerd ma lui. He appeared in Fearless with Jet Li, although his scene was cut from the international release of the film. However, a special version was shown in cinemas in Thailand in March 2006, in which his scene was restored. He portrayed a boxer who challenges Jet Li's character. He was seen recently on screens playing a Muay Thai trainer in A Prayer Before Dawn.

He also made his debut as a singer in 2006, performing at the Pattaya Music Festival and releasing an album and a music video (featuring fellow boxers Khaosai Galaxy and Samart Payakaroon as a shy man being approached by a young woman).

Somluck married Saowanee Kamsing, a fellow youth athlete. She is the younger sister of a fellow Khon Kaen boxer, Pongsith Wiangwiset. Somluck's younger sister is also Phongsith's wife. Saowanee had a miscarriage of their first child while Somluck was competing in the 1996 Summer Olympics. The couple has two children including Rakwanee Kamsing (daughter born 2000) and Phuwarak Kamsing (son born 2007). Rakwanee is an actress and YouTuber.^[13]

Somluck used to be a naval officer and was an amateur boxer for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), with the highest rank being Lieutenant (Lt), before being discharged from service in 2018 after the court ordered him to be declared bankrupt.^[14]

On 23 January 2025, Somluck was convicted by a court in Khon Kaen province of abducting a minor for indecent purposes, committing an indecent act against a minor by using force, and attempted rape in a case involving a 17-year-old girl whom he brought to a hotel room from a bar in Khon Kaen in 2023. He was sentenced to a prison term of three years, one month and 10 days, and was also ordered to pay 120,000 baht ($3,525) to the victim and 50,000 baht ($1,470) to her guardians. Somluck denied the charges.^[15]

• Somrak Khamsing at IMDb
• Somluck Kamsing at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)