Student Sophia Morgan: flying the Fiji flag in France

Sophia Morgan has a different sports story to most University of Auckland athletes heading to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Sophia, a Bachelor of Science student, will represent Fiji in the ILCA 6 sailing event being held in Marseille, in her second Games after competing at Tokyo 2020.

“I was only 17 then. I turned 18 in MIQ, which was an experience, so it will be interesting to see my performance this year. I am a lot fitter, stronger, more experienced and confident with my sailing.”

Sophia began sailing in her homeland, Fiji, at age eight. She had always been sporty, competing in swimming, hockey, netball and soccer.

“Eventually I settled on sailing with the help of my dad at the Royal Suva Yacht Club – the same club he learnt to sail out of when he was a kid. I vividly remember him picking the oldest boat in the shed, fixing it up and painting it blue – my mum called it Splash. He was my biggest motivator and inspiration, from getting into the boat with me (which was way too small for him) in the early stages, to flying with me to my biggest regattas such as the World Championships.”

Sophia describes sailing, in all its forms, as magical.

“It’s just the freedom and opportunity the sport brings. Whether you’re sailing a dinghy, skiff or a yacht, you have the freedom to go anywhere in the harbour or world. I find that pretty awesome. While there are so many opportunities and pathways in the sport – leisure or competitive – one of my favourite things is simply being out on the water. I have loved it from a young age, and the fact that it’s my sport is magical.”

Sophia moved to Auckland for high school, where she went to Epsom Girls. In 2023, she won a University Blues Award for excelling in sports.

Like all the University of Auckland students competing at these Games, Sophia is part of the University’s High Performance Support Programme, which helps high performers in many fields, from sport to creative arts, manage their academic studies and their chosen performance field.

“That’s been a tremendous help to my campaign. From gaining access to the University’s amazing gym to having support with managing assignment deadlines/tests during competitions has been such a massive help. It lifts a bit of weight off my shoulders, so I want to thank them so much for all they have done.”

She says managing sailing, academia and everything in between is a challenge.

“But I am constantly learning through trial and error what works for me.

"Probably the best thing I found was having a set calendar for the week of what I need to be doing and just being flexible around it. Sometimes I would shift my focus more onto sailing and gym work, particularly during uni break, whereas during exam weeks it would be focused on studying. For me it's all about trying to keep everything balanced. I also have an incredible amount of support from my family, especially my mum. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to get this far.”

Sophia’s mother will be at her side in France, as Fiji’s sailing team manager.

“She has done a lot to get me to where I am today, from driving me to small regattas in the early stages to doing all the administration work in the lead-up to the Games, which not many people know about, but it takes a fair bit of time. I’m also incredibly lucky to be sharing this experience with a long-time friend and fellow teammate Villi Ratului. He will compete in the ILCA 7 sailing event. It’ll be amazing to attend the Games together as we’ve been sailing with each other since I was about 14.”

Sailing also takes a fair amount of money. Sophia received an IOC scholarship to help her attempt to qualify for France, which she did via the Sail Sydney Olympic Qualifying regatta and the 2023 Pacific Games where she claimed two silver medals in the individual and team events. She has also received funding from the Fiji Sports Council “and my parents, and everyone back home who helped support me”.

As well as competing, Sophia says she will make the most of the trip in other ways.

“I hope I’m able to enjoy every opportunity and even learn about the French culture.”