What you may not know about Nootsara

Popularity is one thing, performance and success another.

In Thailand, football is the most watched sport but when it comes to success, the Thai national team has never won a trophy at the world level. The best they have achieved so far is a well-earned fourth place at the 1990 and 1998 Asian Games in China and Thailand respectively.

In comparison, it is the women's volleyball, regarded as a less popular sport, which has remarkably brought happiness to the country. In the past, the performance of Thai spikers was acceptable but there were only a small number of fans to see them play because most of them were crazy about football. But the determination of the spikers and the progress they have made since 2009 is nothing short of a miracle.

The Thailand women's volleyball team made their presence felt in the FIVB World Grand Prix, the world's premier volleyball tournament, in 2002, but it was only last year when they finished an amazing fourth in the Ningbo Finals in China that they captured the limelight. They beat much stronger rivals, including world No 3 Japan, European champs Serbia and Asian powerhouses China on their ways to the finals.

Last week, the spikers brought smiles to Thai faces again when the pretty Nootsara Tomkom claimed "the Best Setter" award in the Volleyball Globe 2012 with a landslide 3,863-1,143 victory over USA's rising star Carli Lloyd in a voting showdown.

Nootsara, better known as Sarah or Noot, is no stranger to the world of volleyball. However, there are some things you might not know about her. Last year, I had a chance to interview the 28-year-old from Ratchaburi. Hopefully, by going through the information below, you may get an idea of what a resolute character she is.

How did she become a spiker?

When she was a child, she dreamt of graduating from a Bangkok university but realised that the family's modest income, with father working at a sugar factory in Ratchaburi, wasn't going to fully cover her study costs. To accomplish her goal, she needed to get a scholarship. With her brother emerging as a keen footballer and her elder sister in the school volleyball team, she decided to focus on sports.

Education: She got a Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Science and Technology, Rattana Bundit University.

Career: She started playing volleyball at 10 and got selected to the national team for the first time when she was 17. At first, she played in all positions but her coach soon recognised her skills and put her in the setter position.

Six years ago, Nootsara made her international debut with a team in the Spanish professional league before moving on to play in Switzerland and Azerbaijan. She now plays for Azerbaijan's Igtisadchi Baku on a six-month contract.

Achievement: Apart from the latest award from the Volleyball Globe, she had also won the best setter award at three major tournaments - the 2009 Asian Championship in Hanoi, last year's AVC Cup for Women in Kazakhstan, and the FIVB World Grand Prix Finals in China.

Investment: To gain more income, she invested in gold and land.

Dream: If she were not a spiker, she would have been a chef or owner of a Korean restaurant.

Favourite dish: Moo kata (pork barbecue)

Beauty secret: Her pretty face inevitably draws the TV cameras for close-up shots during competitions and the No 13 player admits that she's "a high-maintenance lady". Concerned about her appearance, she travels with a full beauty kit in her luggage.

She follows a strict cleansing and cream routine at night and takes care of her face and skin before a match. Masks are part of her everyday care and she panics if a pimple dares put in an appearance. She is a spa lover.

Number of fanclub: Her Facebook official fanpage has 97,850 likes

What her close friends say about her: Nootsara is friendly and has a good sense of humour.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/03/03/what-you-may-not-know-about-nootsara/