Kaeo Pongprayoon: Thailand’s Olympic Boxing Silver Medalist
Thailand’s Kaeo Pongprayoon, also recorded as Kaew Pongprayoon, won silver in men’s light-flyweight boxing at the London 2012 Olympics. He reached the final after four victories before China’s Zou Shiming retained the Olympic title with a 13–10 decision.
A light-flyweight from Kamphaeng Phet
Pongprayoon was born on March 28, 1980, in Kamphaeng Phet and represented Thailand in the 49-kilogram division. His affiliation with the 3rd Army Arai Boxing Club places his sporting career within the country’s established military boxing system.
London’s light-flyweight tournament was held at the ExCeL venue and included 26 competitors. Pongprayoon began by defeating Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi, then beat Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo to reach the quarterfinals. A decision victory over Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Aleksandrov secured his place in the medal rounds.
Four wins and an Olympic final
In the semifinal, Pongprayoon defeated Russia’s David Ayrapetyan to advance to the gold-medal contest. Zou, the defending Olympic champion, won the final on August 11. Pongprayoon finished with silver, while Ayrapetyan and Ireland’s Paddy Barnes received bronze.
The silver medal records the full extent of his London achievement: he advanced from the opening round to the final, rather than entering the competition with a bye. It was the defining Olympic result of his career and earned him another honor at the Games, where he carried Thailand’s flag during the closing ceremony.
His name appears under both Kaeo and Kaew in English-language records. Recognizing that spelling variation helps connect the athlete profile, tournament results and footage of his international bouts.
Olympedia’s event record lists Pongprayoon as runner-up and documents the 13–10 final result. Sources: [1] [2]
Sources
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
