Thai soccer players and their coach mark anniversary of cave ordeal - GulfToday

Thai soccer players and their coach mark anniversary of cave ordeal

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Members of the "Wild Boars" football team and their coach pose before participating in a marathon.

Some of the 12 young Thai soccer players and their coach have marked the anniversary of their ordeal that saw them trapped in a flooded cave for two weeks with a commemorative marathon in northern Thailand.

Around 4,000 took part in the marathon and biking event Sunday morning, organized by local authorities to raise funds to improve conditions at the now famous Tham Luang cave complex.

Participants gather at the visitor centre for the Tham Luang cave. Jittrapon Kaicome/AFP

Bikers are participating at the charity event commemorating the first anniversary. Jittrapon Kaicome/AFP

the entrance to Tham Luang Nang Non Cave in the Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. Sakchai Lalit/AP

A boy watches a painting depicting the recuse mission to save 12 soccer boys and their coach. Sakchai Lalit/AP

A runner takes a selfie with former soccer coach Ekkapol Chanthawong, right, who was rescued from a flooded cave. Sakchai Lalit/AP

The youngsters went in to explore before rain-fed floodwaters pushed them deep inside the dark complex. Their rescue was hailed as nothing short of a miracle.

Nine of the boys and their coach ran the marathon, donning the event's orange T-shirts and looking notably taller and older.

The Wild Boars teammates were at the center of attention as they smiled and posed for photos.

Associated Press

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