On the same day that she won the best Amateur Athlete award, Buoban Pamang left Thailand for an intensive two-month training in Uzbekistan ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old from Chiang Rai, who has won the award three times, is accompanied by her coach Sergey Voynov from Uzbekistan and men's javelin hopeful Nontuch Planuwat.

"I did not practice for a month, and that was why my performance in the recent King's Cup was a letdown. The silver medal with a below-par throw of 53.26m was disappointing," said Buoban, who won gold in four consecutive South East Asian Games, stretching back to the 2001 Kuala Lumpur edition.

"While training there [Uzbekistan], I hope to improve my personal best of 61.40m. I will try to throw 63m, which could land me in the final round in Beijing.

"I will also compete in three tournaments along with the training in Uzbekistan," Buoban said.