| Laos at the 2012 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | LAO |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee of Laos |
| inLondon | |
| Competitors | 3 in 2 sports |
| Flag bearer | Kilakone Siphonexay |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Laos competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics inLondon when the event took place from 27 July to 12 August 2012. It was the nation's eighth overall appearance following their Olympic debut in 1980. Laos had previously competed in seven consecutive Olympics prior to London apart from the1984 Summer Olympics boycott. Two athletes and one swimmer were selected to the Laotian Olympic team after the country did not qualify any competitors.
SprinterKilakone Siphonexay was the nation'sflag bearer at theopening andclosing ceremonies. At the Olympics, Siphonexay and runnerLaenly Phoutthavong failed to advance in the 100 m heats while swimmerPhathana Inthavong did not reach farther than the50 m freestyle heats. Overall, Inthavong had the highest ranking for Laos in 2012 with a 56th place finish.
Following the 1978 formation of theNational Olympic Committee of Laos, the NOC became part of theInternational Olympic Committee in 1979.[1] Laos appeared at their first Olympic Games at the1980 Summer Olympics.[2] In May 1984, Laos withdrew their participation from the1984 Summer Olympics.[3] After not appearing in 1984, Laos competed in six consecutive Summer Olympics leading up to the2012 Summer Olympics, which took place from 27 July to 12 August inLondon.[4][5]
While training atChao Anouvong Stadium, the Laotian runners used concrete barbell weights made from paint cans and tires. These weights were joined together with beams fromscaffolding.[6] For the 2012 Olympics,Kilakone Siphonexay andLaenly Phoutthavong represented the country in athletics whilePhathana Inthavong competed in swimming.[7] With an average age of eighteen, Laos had the youngest team at the 2012 Olympics.[8] Competing in his first Olympics, Siphonexay was theflag bearer for Laos at theopening andclosing ceremonies.[9] Phoutthavong and Inthavong also went to their first Olympics in 2012.[10][11]
Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, none of the Laotian competitors qualified for the athletic events.[6] Kilakone Siphonexay entered the Olympics with apersonal best of 11.24 seconds.[12] With his time, Siphonexay was exactly one second slower than the B standard qualifying time for themen's 100 m.[13] On 4 August, Siphonexay finished sixth in the first preliminary heat with a time of 11.30 seconds.[14] With his sixth place heat finish, Siphonexay was not one of the eight qualifiers that finished in the top two of the four heats. For the last two qualifying spots, Siphonexay did not reach the next round as he was not one of the two remaining athletes to have one of the top two fastest times.[15] Overall, Siphonexay was 68th out of 75 competitors.[16]
For thewomen's 100 m, Laenly Phoutthavong went to the 2012 Olympics without a qualifying time or personal best.[17][18] On 3 August, Phoutthavong completed the third preliminary heat in sixth place and a time of 13.15 seconds.[19] Phoutthavong did not qualify to the next round with her heat placing as she did not finish in the top two in her individual heat. As Phoutthavong did not have one of the two quickest overall times as part of the remaining athletes, she did not advance from the preliminary round.[20] Out of 79 competitors, Phoutthavong was 68th overall during the Olympic event.[21]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Kilakone Siphonexay | 100 m | 11.30 | 6 | Did not advance[14] | |||||
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Laenly Phoutthavong | 100 m | 13.15 | 6 | Did not advance[19] | |||||
For the swimming events, Laos had no competitors qualify for the Olympics.[6] For themen's 50m freestyle, Pathana Inthavong received a universality spot.[22][23] His entry time of 28.94 seconds was 6.06 seconds slower than the invitational time for the Olympics.[23][24] Prior to the Games, Inthavong had swum at the2011 World Aquatics Championships as a requirement to compete as a non-qualified Olympic athlete.[25][26] On 2 August, Inthavong was second with a time of 28.17 seconds during the first heat of the 50 m freestyle event.[27] As Inthavong did not have one of the top 16 times during the heats, he did not qualify for the semifinals.[28] Overall, Inthavong finished 56th out of 58 competitors.[29]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Phathana Inthavong | 50 m freestyle | 28.17 | 2 | Did not advance[28] | |||
