Professor to compete for second time
Prawat Nagvajara will represent Thailand in 2006 Winter Olympics.
Anthony Cesarini
Issue date: 2/10/06 Section: News
Prawat Nagvajara, associate professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, will be competing in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, which is being held Feb. 10-26.
Nagvajara will be competing in the men's cross-country skiing 15 km classical event. He will be the oldest Olympian, at age 47, and the lone representative of Thailand, his home country. He first fathomed his quest to represent Thailand in the Olympics after watching Kenyan Philip Boit, a cross-country skier from Kenya, cross the finish line last in Nagano, Japan in 1998.
"I thought to myself, 'I want to go to the Olympics,'" he told The Triangle.
Nagvajara will be holding the Thai flag at the opening ceremonies just as he did in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002.
Nagvajara called this year's Olympics "the trip of a lifetime."
The Olympian made it clear that it is not just his desire to represent Thailand that has him skiing in the Olympics; he also has a love of the sport.
Before considering the possibility of entering into the Olympics, Nagvajara had participated in skiing as a purely recreational activity.
"Everybody likes to go fast," he said. "I never bought the good equipment. Sometimes to get skis that weigh one ounce less you have to pay not $100, but $200. Not me."
Nagvajara is taking his entire family - his wife, Gina, and their two sons, Nathan, 6, and Ty, 3 - to Italy with him. They will be renting an apartment near Torino.
"They think it's great," Nagvajara said when asked what his family thinks of the Olympics. "My wife is also an athlete, so she is very understanding."
Training
"Usually, when I'm getting ready to start the race, the winner is already known," he said. "This is positive pressure for me. I will try my hardest-push myself as hard as I can."
Nagvajara's trainer for the games is longtime friend and Philadelphian Phil Senechal. Senechal also had Chad Hendrick, an elite speed-skater and Olympic competitor, on his team at one time.
"Phil told me at the end of the summer that my workout didn't have enough volume," Nagvajara said. "I was doing too much of an interval workout. Instead of going five miles at a seven minute pace, I should have been running more miles at a longer pace."
Senechal developed a program for Nagvajara that involved a total body conditioning. "I was working mainly my core, but Phil had me work my upper body too."
The purpose of the upper body workout is to ensure the skier is able to quickly and crisply control his poles.
Nagvajara trained over the winter break in Craftsberry, a skiing area in northern Vermont. In his final week in the United States before the event, Nagvajara has been performing mainly an interval workout to prepare for the event.
Goal, not medal, in sight
The skier may not have a chance at a medal, but he has a personal goal to replace that.
"I'd like to finish in 50 minutes. That will depend on the conditions. If it's really slushy, it might take me over an hour. The great skiers will finish in 30 minutes and if conditions are bad, in about 35 minutes," he explained.
While the standard rules by the International Ski Federation limit Olympians to one race, Nagvajara will appeal to the committee to allow him to also compete in the men's cross-country skiing sprint race. If the request is granted, his stay in Torino will be extended.
Nagvajara hopes to have better luck with the 15 km classic race.
"In Salt Lake City, it was a mass start. Here, it will be an interval start," he said. During the Salt Lake City competition, the race leader lapped Nagvajara at one point during the race, automatically disqualifying him. At Torino, skiers set off every 15 seconds and the lapping rule does not apply.
Thailand's Representation in future Olympics
Since this is likely his last showing in the Olympics as a representative of Thailand, Nagvajara hopes to keep the Olympic dream alive in his home country by working to start a short-track speed-skating program.
"I won't let the fire die down," he said. "I already have wealthy Thai people that e-mail me and ask how they can help. I'm looking forward to being able to let them know that we can use their help."
Nagvajara wants to get to know the Olympic committees and institute some fund-raising before starting the program.
"If there are any Thai students here at Drexel interested, I'd help them out," he said. "It would be great if we had a club sport in cross-country skiing."
Setting off
"I was touched by the sense of community at Drexel," Nagvajara said. "Everyone has been so nice in sending me off."
Nagvajara also had kind words from Philadelphians who he has encountered while training outdoors.
"The Philadelphia Running Club recognizes me and they've been telling me good luck," he said. "Even the biker with the fishing poles stops me and says good luck. It's touching."
"The entire Drexel Community takes pride in Dr. Nagvajara's participation in the 2006 Olympics," said University President Constantine Papadakis. "On behalf of our students, faculty and staff, I offer congratulations and best wishes to him."
Senior Vice President Anthony Caneris had similar words for Nagvajara. "He is putting himself through much sacrifice to strengthen himself in order to compete, but most importantly to bring honor to his home country. I wish him the very best at the winter Olympics," he said.
Louis Bocchicchio, a senior majoring in computer engineering and one of Nagvajara's students spoke about his professor's trip to the Olympic games.
"I think it is great that Dr. Nagvajara is representing Thailand in the Winter Olympics. The best part about it is he is going, knowing that he will most likely lose. To him it's not about winning or losing, it's more about pride, achievement, and understanding. It sends a message to the Drexel community and the rest of the world, that you don't have to be the best, as long as you have a love, a passion for what you do in life," he said.
Nagvajara and his family departed from Newark International Airport on a direct flight to Milan, Italy on the evening of Feb. 8.
The men's cross-country skiing 15 km (9.3 mile) classical will be held Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. local time across the hills of Pragelato. It will be televised nationally on NBC and NBC HD at 4 p.m. EST that day.
Nagvajara will be competing in the men's cross-country skiing 15 km classical event. He will be the oldest Olympian, at age 47, and the lone representative of Thailand, his home country. He first fathomed his quest to represent Thailand in the Olympics after watching Kenyan Philip Boit, a cross-country skier from Kenya, cross the finish line last in Nagano, Japan in 1998.
"I thought to myself, 'I want to go to the Olympics,'" he told The Triangle.
Nagvajara will be holding the Thai flag at the opening ceremonies just as he did in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002.
Nagvajara called this year's Olympics "the trip of a lifetime."
The Olympian made it clear that it is not just his desire to represent Thailand that has him skiing in the Olympics; he also has a love of the sport.
Before considering the possibility of entering into the Olympics, Nagvajara had participated in skiing as a purely recreational activity.
"Everybody likes to go fast," he said. "I never bought the good equipment. Sometimes to get skis that weigh one ounce less you have to pay not $100, but $200. Not me."
Nagvajara is taking his entire family - his wife, Gina, and their two sons, Nathan, 6, and Ty, 3 - to Italy with him. They will be renting an apartment near Torino.
"They think it's great," Nagvajara said when asked what his family thinks of the Olympics. "My wife is also an athlete, so she is very understanding."
Training
"Usually, when I'm getting ready to start the race, the winner is already known," he said. "This is positive pressure for me. I will try my hardest-push myself as hard as I can."
Nagvajara's trainer for the games is longtime friend and Philadelphian Phil Senechal. Senechal also had Chad Hendrick, an elite speed-skater and Olympic competitor, on his team at one time.
"Phil told me at the end of the summer that my workout didn't have enough volume," Nagvajara said. "I was doing too much of an interval workout. Instead of going five miles at a seven minute pace, I should have been running more miles at a longer pace."
Senechal developed a program for Nagvajara that involved a total body conditioning. "I was working mainly my core, but Phil had me work my upper body too."
The purpose of the upper body workout is to ensure the skier is able to quickly and crisply control his poles.
Nagvajara trained over the winter break in Craftsberry, a skiing area in northern Vermont. In his final week in the United States before the event, Nagvajara has been performing mainly an interval workout to prepare for the event.
Goal, not medal, in sight
The skier may not have a chance at a medal, but he has a personal goal to replace that.
"I'd like to finish in 50 minutes. That will depend on the conditions. If it's really slushy, it might take me over an hour. The great skiers will finish in 30 minutes and if conditions are bad, in about 35 minutes," he explained.
While the standard rules by the International Ski Federation limit Olympians to one race, Nagvajara will appeal to the committee to allow him to also compete in the men's cross-country skiing sprint race. If the request is granted, his stay in Torino will be extended.
Nagvajara hopes to have better luck with the 15 km classic race.
"In Salt Lake City, it was a mass start. Here, it will be an interval start," he said. During the Salt Lake City competition, the race leader lapped Nagvajara at one point during the race, automatically disqualifying him. At Torino, skiers set off every 15 seconds and the lapping rule does not apply.
Thailand's Representation in future Olympics
Since this is likely his last showing in the Olympics as a representative of Thailand, Nagvajara hopes to keep the Olympic dream alive in his home country by working to start a short-track speed-skating program.
"I won't let the fire die down," he said. "I already have wealthy Thai people that e-mail me and ask how they can help. I'm looking forward to being able to let them know that we can use their help."
Nagvajara wants to get to know the Olympic committees and institute some fund-raising before starting the program.
"If there are any Thai students here at Drexel interested, I'd help them out," he said. "It would be great if we had a club sport in cross-country skiing."
Setting off
"I was touched by the sense of community at Drexel," Nagvajara said. "Everyone has been so nice in sending me off."
Nagvajara also had kind words from Philadelphians who he has encountered while training outdoors.
"The Philadelphia Running Club recognizes me and they've been telling me good luck," he said. "Even the biker with the fishing poles stops me and says good luck. It's touching."
"The entire Drexel Community takes pride in Dr. Nagvajara's participation in the 2006 Olympics," said University President Constantine Papadakis. "On behalf of our students, faculty and staff, I offer congratulations and best wishes to him."
Senior Vice President Anthony Caneris had similar words for Nagvajara. "He is putting himself through much sacrifice to strengthen himself in order to compete, but most importantly to bring honor to his home country. I wish him the very best at the winter Olympics," he said.
Louis Bocchicchio, a senior majoring in computer engineering and one of Nagvajara's students spoke about his professor's trip to the Olympic games.
"I think it is great that Dr. Nagvajara is representing Thailand in the Winter Olympics. The best part about it is he is going, knowing that he will most likely lose. To him it's not about winning or losing, it's more about pride, achievement, and understanding. It sends a message to the Drexel community and the rest of the world, that you don't have to be the best, as long as you have a love, a passion for what you do in life," he said.
Nagvajara and his family departed from Newark International Airport on a direct flight to Milan, Italy on the evening of Feb. 8.
The men's cross-country skiing 15 km (9.3 mile) classical will be held Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. local time across the hills of Pragelato. It will be televised nationally on NBC and NBC HD at 4 p.m. EST that day.
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