Sikhounxay Ounkhamphanyavong (born November 18, 1982) is a Laotian

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 swimmer.

Described as "the big name of Laotian swimming", he represented his country

Laos at the 2000 Summer Olympics

-Athletics:Men's 100 metres*Sisomphone Vongphakdy* Round 1 — 11.47 Women's Marathon*Sirivanh Ketavong* Final — 3:34:27 -Swimming:Men's 50m Freestyle*Sikhounxay Ounkhamphanyavong...

 at the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, in the men's 50 metre freestyle. He had trained in one of the world's poorest countries, "where the largest pool is 25 meters long – half the Olympic distance". A reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

noted that "a 25m pool badly in need of cleaning is [his] only place to train." Ounkhamphanyavong finished last in his heat, with a time of 27.03, and did not advance to the semi-finals.