Olympian and Fijian sailor Sophia Morgan recently finished second place overall during the ILCA North Island Championship in Napier, New Zealand.
The 19-year-old said the event was “an opportunity to put my training into practice and race against a big fleet of 49 competitors”.
“The next competition I am working towards is the 2023 Oceania and Australian Open and Youth Championships, which will be held at the Georges River Sailing Club on Botany Bay from the 1st to the 8th of January,” Morgan said.
“The goal of this regatta will be to gain more experience racing amongst international sailors and to provide the results that reflect on the amount of work I have been putting into my training, and to also have fun!”
The Pacific Games is also another important event, which will be held in the Solomon Islands next year, while she won a silver medal in the last games.
In the next games, she is aiming to secure a gold medal for Fiji by winning the competition overall and unlike many other sports, she said sailing is heavily influenced by its environment.
“This reason and the encouragement from my parents was what got me hooked on this sport, my passion for the ocean and our natural environment quickly grew as I learnt to sail on the beautiful waters of Draunibota Bay – those are my fondest memories,” she said.
Morgan competed in the laser radial event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where she finished 42nd overall.
• Maki’uti Seruvatu is a Year 11 student of Marist Brothers High School. He is on practical attachment with this newspaper.
