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Pathunyu Yimsomruay

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Pathunyu Yimsomruay
Personal information
Full namePathunyu Yimsomruay
NicknameGuy
National team Thailand
Born (1979-07-06) 6 July 1979 (age 45)
Bangkok, Thailand
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, medley
College teamUniversity of Virginia (U.S.)
CoachMark Bernardino
(University of Virginia)
Dick Shoulberg
(Germantown Academy)
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Thailand
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2003 Hanoi 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1999 Brunei 200 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Kuala Lumpur 200 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Kuala Lumpur 400 m medley

Pathunyu "Guy" Yimsomruay (born July 6, 1979) is a Thai former swimmer, who specialized in backstroke and in individual medley events.[1] He swam for Thailand in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but did not make the finals. He excelled, however, as a four-time medalist at the Southeast Asian Games in 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003. While studying in the United States, Yimsomruay earned four All-American and five All-ACC honors for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Early years

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Yimsomruay was born in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 6, 1979, the son of Sayan, a Bangkok advertising executive, and Sumalee Yimsomruay.[2] He started his sporting career at an early age, as a member of Bangkok's Singha Swimming Club. At Singha, by late Junior High, he regularly practiced four hours a day, five days a week.[2] He accepted a full scholarship to study at the Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, which was provided by the sponsors of Singha Swimming Club.[3] At Germantown Academy, he was coached by Hall of Fame Coach Dick Shoulberg who helped improve his technique and was known for getting the most out of his more talented swimmers. Coach Shoulberg first took note of Yimsomruay at Thailand's National Youth Games in Thailand in 1994.[2][4][5][6]

Germantown Academy era

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At Germantown Academy, Yimsomruay increased his practice times from four hours a day weekdays to six hours a day six days a week under the demanding training regiment of Dick Shoulberg.[2] By his Junior year in High School in December 1997, he had swum the 400-meter IM in 4:30.8, and the 200-meter IM in 2:06.7, which gave him Senior National Status in the two events.[2] During his high school career, he set Germantown Academy records in the 100-yard butterfly (50.65) and 100-yard backstroke (50.40), and received all-league and all-section honors.

University of Virginia

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In 1999, Yimsomruay attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he majored in sociology, and swam for the Virginia Cavaliers, swimming and diving team under head coach Mark Bernardino.[7] While swimming for the Cavaliers, he received four All-American and five All-ACC honors, and eventually helped the school's team claim a 200-yard freestyle relay title at the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.[8]

2000 Sydney Olympics

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Yimsomruay competed for Thailand in the men's 200 m individual medley at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.[9][10][11] After winning his first gold medal at the SEA Games in Brunei, his entry time of 2:04.90 was officially accredited under a FINA B-standard.[12] He challenged seven other swimmers in heat four of the 2000 Olympics, including Latvia's two-time Olympian and top favorite Valērijs Kalmikovs. He closed out the field to last place by 4.31 seconds behind winner Dean Kent of New Zealand. Yimsomruay failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed forty-third overall in heat four with a time of 2:08.38.[13][14]

Southeast Asian Games

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Yimsomruay excelled in Southeast Asian Games competitions, bringing greater recognition to Thai swimmers. At the age of 18, in one of the high points of his early swimming career he took a second place silver medal with a 4:30.8 in the 400-meter IM in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in October 1997.[2] Yimsomruay also competed for the national team when Thailand hosted the 1998 Asian Games, but failed to collect a medal in his signature events, the 200-meter backstroke or the 200-meter individual medley.[15]

At the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Yimsomruay won two bronze medals each in the 200 m individual medley (2:07.38), and in the 400 m individual medley (4:32.29).[16][17]

In the 1999, and 2003 Asian Games, benefitting from demanding training and quality coaching, he took a gold medal in the 200-meter medley in 1999 in Brunei, and another gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay in 2003 in Hanoi.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pathunyu Yimsomruay". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Iezzi, Bill, "A World-Class Hopeful Surfaces at GA", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2 December 1997, pg. 91
  3. ^ Iezzi, Bill, "GA Star Prepares to Swim for Thailand", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2 December 1998, pg. 128
  4. ^ "Dick Shoulberg Reinstated at Germantown Academy". Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  5. ^ "American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame, Dick Shoulberg, Biography". Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  6. ^ "Dick Shoulberg To Officially retire at End of School Year". Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  7. ^ "UVA Announces New Additions to Swimming and Diving". University of Virginia. 2 July 1999. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Men's ACC History: Relay Champions" (PDF). University of Virginia. p. 6. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 200m Individual Medley Heats" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. pp. 311–313. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  10. ^ Wasilition, Bradley (14 September 2000). "Swimmers go for gold at Olympics". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Virginia Swimming Well Represented At Olympic Trials". Atlantic Coast Conference. 9 August 2000. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Swimming – Men's 200m Individual Medley Startlist (Heat 4)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 200m Individual Medley Heat 4" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 308. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Virginia's Bosevska Finishes 18th In 800 Freestyle At Olympics". Atlantic Coast Conference. 21 September 2000. Retrieved 8 June 2013.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ a b Iezzi, Bill (2 December 1998). "GA Star Prepares To Swim For Thailand Guy Yimsomruay Will Represent His Country In The Backstroke And IM At This Month's Asian Games". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  16. ^ "Bera equals SEA Games record". Utusan Malaysia. 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  17. ^ "Pool queen Joscelin stamps her mark in SEA Games". Utusan Malaysia. 9 September 2001. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
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