10 Facts About Praphalsai Minpraphal

Praphalsai "Waen" Minpraphal is a Thai former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly, but competed in backstroke and individual medley.

Praphalsai Minpraphal represented Thailand in all three editions of the Olympic Games since 1992, and earned numerous medals in her own specialties at the Southeast Asian Games since 1991.

Praphalsai Minpraphal made her official worldwide debut, as a 14-year-old, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Praphalsai Minpraphal failed to reach the top 16 final in any of her individual events, finishing forty-second in the 200 m backstroke, thirty-seventh in the 100 m butterfly, twenty-fifth in the 200 m butterfly, thirtieth in the 200 m individual medley, and twenty-eighth in the 400 m individual medley.

Shortly after her first Games, Praphalsai Minpraphal accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, and train for Gregg Troy for the Sharks Swim Club.

At the 2000 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, during her senior year, Praphalsai Minpraphal shared a 200-yard medley title with Joscelin Yeo, Haley Cope, and Staciana Stitts in a short-course world record of 1:49.23.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Praphalsai Minpraphal built a monstrous program of six swimming events.

Praphalsai Minpraphal placed twenty-first in the 100 m backstroke, thirtieth in the 200 m backstroke, twenty-eighth in the 100 m butterfly, twenty-fifth in the 200 m butterfly, thirty-fourth in the 200 m individual medley, and twenty-seventh in the 400 m individual medley.

Three years later, at the 1999 Southeast Asian Games in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Praphalsai Minpraphal enjoyed the race of her life as she took home two golds in the 100 m butterfly and in the 200 m butterfly.

Praphalsai Minpraphal failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed thirty-seventh overall on the first day of prelims.