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| LIGON
Nina Rujiraporn |
| Sport |
Eventing, Jumping |
| NOC |
Thailand
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| Gender | Female |
| Born | 03 Oct 1991
in Bangkok, THA |
| Height | 1.64 m |
| Weight | 58 kg |
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Image subject to copyright.
Not for reproduction. |
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Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Palo Alto, CA, USA |
General Interest |
| Famous relatives |
Her sister Nisha is also a rider and has attempted to qualify for the Asian Games. (ninaligon.com, 22 Jul 2011) |
| Awards and honours |
In 2011 she was presented with the Rising Star Award for the best young equestrian rider in the world, and named the Thai Equestrian Federation [TEF] Rider of the Year. (tefthailand.com, 28 Jul 2012)
She received the Linda Moore Trophy for Best Young Rider of the Year [United States] in 2010 and 2011. (ninaligon.com, 14 Jul 2012, 22 Jul 2011)
She was given a royal medal from King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for outstanding service to the country following her 2007 performances. (ninaligon.com, 22 Jul 2011) |
Sport Specific Information |
| Name of coach |
Kim Severson [coach], USA |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began riding beach ponies at age three in Hua Hin, Thailand, and took up riding lessons at age five. |
Further Personal Information |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Information Technology, Student |
| Languages |
English, Spanish, Thai |
General Interest |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"The best way is not to fight it, just go. Don't be trying to fix things all the time. What you run from only stays with you. When you fight something, you only make it stronger." [Chuck Palahniuk] (Facebook profile, 07 Jan 2015) |
| Other information |
DUAL CITIZEN
Born in Thailand, she has a US father and a Thai mother. She has dual citizenship and competed under both flags as a junior, but at age 18 she elected to represent Thailand. (ninaligon.com, 02 Feb 2014)
LEARNING THAI
She was raised and educated in the United States, but she began learning the Thai language after choosing to represent the country of her birth at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. "I didn't want to embarrass myself or the team in case the media interviewed me." (ninaligon.com, 02 Feb 2014)
HISTORY MAKER
She became the first female equestrian to represent an Asian country in eventing at the Olympic Games when she competed at the 2012 Games in London. In 2007 she became the first female rider to win an individual equestrian gold medal for Thailand at the Southeast Asian [SEA] Games. (ninaligon.com, 02 Feb 2014; bleacherreport.com, 13 Aug 2012)
US STUDIES
She received an early acceptance to study at Stanford University in the United States but deferred enrolment for two years in order to represent Thailand at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou and pursue qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Facebook profile, 01 Apr 2014; ninaligon.com, 02 Feb 2014) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
She makes food to appease the spirits of the property every time she goes to a new venue, and asks them to take care of the horses. (horsejunkiesunited.com, 19 Mar 2012) |
Further Personal Information |
| Higher education |
Mechanical Engineering - Stanford University: Palo Alto, CA, USA |
International Debut |
| Year |
2007 |
| Competing for |
Thailand |
Last Update |
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14 Jan 2015 |
Olympic Games |
| Year |
Venue |
Horse |
Ind. Rank |
Team Rank |
| 2012 |
OG-C London (GBR) |
FRH BUTTS LEON |
41 |
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Continental Championships and Games |
| Year |
Venue |
Horse |
Ind. Rank |
Team Rank |
| 2010 |
Asian Games-CIC1* Guangzhou (CHN) |
CHAI THAI |
4 |
2 |
| 2007 |
CH-N.Am-J-C1* Lexington VA (USA) |
PACIFIC STORM |
24 |
5 |
Other Events |
| Year |
Venue |
Horse |
Ind. Rank |
Team Rank |
| 2007 |
SEA Games-CIC1* Nakhon Ratchasima (THA) |
PACIFIC STORM |
1 |
1 |
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| There are no current results available for this athlete. |
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