Prawat Nagvajara

Prawat Nagvajara ( _th. ประวัติ นาควัชระ, born December 1, 1958 [ [http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=CC&competitorid=73007&type=result Biography] on the website of the International Ski Federation] ) is a Thai academic and cross-country skier. He is the only person ever to have represented Thailand at the Winter Olympic Games, having taken part in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics. Unsurprisingly, he was therefore his country's flagbearer at the Games' Opening Ceremonies on both occasions. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E1D7143CF93BA35751C0A9649C8B63 "OLYMPICS; Team Thailand Starts And Ends With Skier"] , "New York Times", February 8, 2002] [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2006-02-10-lopresti-ceremony_x.htm "Athletes usher in the Torino Games"] , USA Today, February 10, 2006]

Nagvajara grew up in Bangkok, and was a member of a teenage rock band. He is currently a professor of engineering at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, United States. Nagvajara has stated that Philip Boit was his inspiration to participate in the Olympics. [ [http://www.time.com/time/olympics2002/article/0,8599,212042,00.html "In Praise of the Lone Olympians"] , Amanda Bauer, "Time", February 21, 2002]

At the 2002 Games, Nagvajara took part in the 30km race, but was eliminated after being lapped. He then competed in the 1.5km sprint, and finished 68th out of 71 with a time of 4:14.55 - behind Cameroon's Isaac Menyoli, and ahead of Costa Rica's Arturo Kinch. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/static/winter_olympics/statistics/events/cross_country_skiing_results.stm Cross-country skiing results] , BBC, February 24, 2008] [ [http://www.time.com/time/olympics2002/article/0,8599,212042,00.html "In Praise of the Lone Olympians"] , Amanda Bauer, "Time", February 21, 2002] [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/gen/story?id=1330146 "If at first you don't succeed ..."] , Associated Press, February 11, 2002]

At the 2006 Games, he competed in the 15km classical race. He finished 97th, with a time of 1:07:15.9. [ [http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/18/sports/sp-olyplaschke18 "They’re Alone Against the World"] , "Los Angeles Times", February 18, 2006] [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmtpi/is_200602/ai_n16077866 "'Dead Last' Prawat Nagvajara and another middle-age American, racing for Costa Rica, did battle."] , "Philadelphia Inquirer", February 2006]

External links

* [http://badgerherald.com/oped/2002/02/21/unlikely_olympian_be.php "Unlikely Olympian becomes unlikely hero"] , "Badger Herald", February 21, 2002
* [http://www.courrierinternational.com/article.asp?obj_id=60123 "Ski de fond : Prawat Nagvajara veut battre les Africains"] , "Courier International"
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/other_skiing/newsid_1830000/1830682.stm "A few brave men"] , BBC, February 20, 2002
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/feb/08/olympicgames.winterolympics20021 "It's the taking part that counts"] , Duncan Mackay, "The Guardian", February 8, 2002
* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/olympics/58060_oalone13.shtml "Eleven on their own in Games"] , Associated Press, February 13, 2002

References