Sophia Frances Morgan is a Fijian sailor, who came second in the Women's Laser Radial team event at the

2019 Pacific Games The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the Pacific Games. The Games were held in Apia, Samoa, returning there for the first time since 2007. It was the third time overall that the Pacific Games were held in Samoa. The event was init ...

. She competed in the laser radial event at the delayed

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Personal life

Morgan grew up in Lami, Fiji, and as a youngster, she played football in

Rewa Rewa may refer to: Places Fiji * Rewa (Fijian Communal Constituency, Fiji), a former electoral division of Fiji * Rewa Plateau, between the Kaimur and Vindhya Ranges in Madhya Pradesh * Rewa Province, Fiji * Rewa River, the widest river in Fiji ...

. Morgan moved to New Zealand for

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. She now studies at

Epsom Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = ''Through difficulties to greatness.'' , coordinates = , type = State Single Sex Girls Secondary (Year 9–13) with Boarding Facilities , established = 12 February 1917 , MOE = 64 , principal = Lorraine Pound , colo ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. Her father is also a sailor.

Career

Morgan started sailing at the

Royal Suva Yacht Club Royal Suva Yacht Club is a Fijian yacht club, located in Walu Bay, Suva, Fiji. The yacht club was originally established in 1932, as the Suva Yacht Club, located between Stinson Jetty and Nubukalou Creek along Suva's foreshore before the land wa ...

. She chose to move to New Zealand to be involved in more competitive sailing competitions. She came second in the Women's Laser Radial team event at the

, alongside Nelle Leenders. In January 2020, she competed at the joint Australian and Oceania Championships, and the Australian Youth Championships. At the 2020

Women's Laser Radial World Championship The Women's ILCA 6 World Championship, until 2020 the Women's Laser Radial World Championship, has been held every year since 1980, organised by the International Sailing Federation. Laser Radial is an Olympic sailing class. The event was held ...

, Morgan was the best place sailor from the

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

region. As a result, she qualified for the

. She participated in the laser radial event, and was the only Fijian sailor at the Games. After qualifying for the Olympics, Morgan was invited to train with the New Zealand Youth sailing squad. She also received a scholarship from the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

to fund her appearance at the Games. In March 2020, Morgan came third in a college schools Starling class event. In January 2021, she came second in the youth event at the New Zealand Laser National Championships, and in April, she came second in the Girl's Youth Laser Radial event at the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta. In May, she was the third woman, and seventh overall, at the NSFW Laser Championships. She came third in two races at the event. At the Olympics, Morgan finished 42nd overall.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Sophia 2003 births Living people Fijian female sailors (sport) Fijian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Sailors at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Laser Radial Olympic sailors of Fiji