Sophie Smith

For other people with similar names, see Sophia Smith.

Sophie Smith (born 26 February 1986) is an Australian water polo player. Her position of choice is centre back/drive. She has played for the Victorian Tigers and the Queensland Breakers in the National Water Polo League. She has represented Australia in water polo on the junior and senior level, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2005 FINA Junior World Championships and at the 2010 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup.^[1]

Sophie Smith

Personal information
Born	(1986-02-26) 26 February 1986 (age 38) Brisbane, Queensland
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in) (2011)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb) (2011)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Water polo
Event	Women's team
College team	Hartwick College
Club	Queensland Breakers
Medal record Women's water polo Representing  Australia Olympic Games 2012 London Team competition FINA Junior World Championships 2005 Championships Team competition FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup 2010 World Cup Team competition

Personal life

Smith was born on 26 February 1986 in Brisbane.^[2][3][4] She attended the Brisbane Girls Grammar School.^[2][5] In 2005, she was living in Brisbane, Queensland.^[6] She attended Hartwick College in New York on a water polo scholarship.^[6] Smith is a student at the Queensland University of Technology, where she is completing a degree part-time in Bachelor of Creative Industries with a focus on fashion design.^[2][4] She has a job working for Kim Ring, a Brisbane stylist,^[4] and does work as a styling assistant and make up artist.^[2]

Water polo

She is introduced along with other players on the national team before the first game in the Australia versus Great Britain test.

Smith is a centre back/driver and prefers to wear cap number 3.^[2] She started playing water polo as a thirteen-year-old while at the Brisbane Grammar School.^[2][5]

Club water polo

Smith currently plays club water polo for the Queensland Breakers in the National Water Polo League,^[4] and was with the team for their 2009 season.^[7] She has also played for the Brisbane Barracudas, and was on the 2008 squad.^[5][8] The annual match between KFC Breakers and Barracudas is one the Courier Mail considers a grudge match. She participated in the 2008 edition with her team.^[9] In 2012, she played for the Victorian Tigers.^[10] She has also played club polo in the United States and Italy.^[5] She played water polo on the university level for Hartwick College.^[6] In 2008, Smith played for an Australian Institute of Sport team.^[5]

Junior national team

Smith has represented Australia on the junior national level. In 2004, she was a member of the team that toured Europe in July and August.^[11] She was part of the Australian junior national team that competed at the 2005 World Junior Championships held in Perth, Western Australia. The team beat Greece 10-4 for the bronze medal game. The team's only loss in the tournament was a 4–5 loss to the United States.^[6]

Senior national team

Smith is a member of the Australian Stingers,^[3] having always wanted to get on the team.^[5] Her first major international competition was the 2009 FINA World Championships held in Rome.^[2]

Smith was a member of the Stingers squad that competed at the 2010 FINA World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand.^[12][13] In Australia's semi-final victory over Russia, she fouled out.^[14] In May 2010, she was a member of the team that competed at the FINA World League Asia-Oceania zone held in Osaka, Japan and Tianjin, China.^[15] In 2011, she was one of five Queensland women to compete for the Australians Stingers at the FINA World League competition held in Auckland, New Zealand.^[16][17] In July the same year, she was a member of the Australian Stingers that competed in the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai.^[18] In preparation for this tournament, she attended a team training camp in Perth, Western Australia.^[19] She competed in the Pan Pacific Championships in January 2012 for the Australian Barbarians.^[20] In February 2012, she was named to the final training squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and as such, will attend a training camp starting on 20 February 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.^[3] She was selected to compete at the 2012 Olympics. She was part of the Stingers squad that competed in a five-game test against Great Britain at the AIS in late February 2012. This was the team's first matches against Great Britain's national team in six years.^[21]

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in water polo (women)

References

1. "Sophie Smith Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
2. Australian Water Polo Inc. "Australian Water Polo Inc.: Smith, Sophie". Sydney, New South Wales: Australian Water Polo Inc. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
3. "Final Aussie Stingers Olympic train on Squad Announced". Au.ibtimes.com. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
4. "Anatomy of a Champion". Westside News. Brisbane, Australia. 1 February 2012. p. 055.
5. Johnson, Matt (13 March 2008). "water polo Olympics beckon". City South News. Brisbane, Australia. p. 61.
6. "Bronzed Aussies dig deep". North West News. Brisbane, Australia. 9 February 2005. p. 70. NWN_T-20050209-1-070-796416. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
7. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2009). "2009 KFC Women". Sydney, New South Wales. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
8. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2009). "2008 Barracudas Women". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
9. "Mark 'The Ear' Oberhardt's take on sport". The Courier-Mail. 10 February 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
10. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2012). "2012 Victorian Tigers Women". Sydney, New South Wales. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
11. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2004). "2004 Australian Women's Teams". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
12. "Southern makes Stingers". Innisfail Advocate. Australia. 18 August 2010. p. 16.
13. Forrest, Brad (17 August 2010). "'Ticker' gets team a big win". St. George and Sutherland Shire Leader. New South Wales, Australia. 1915382. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
14. "AAP News: WPOL:Australia v US in women's final". AAP News. Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 21 August 2010. WAAP80888188.
15. Australian Water Polo Inc. (2012). "Australian Female Teams". Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
16. "Sports extra with Brent O'Neill". City North News. Brisbane, Australia. 12 May 2011. p. 047.
17. "Sports extra with Jacob Grams". North West News. Brisbane, Australia. 11 May 2011. p. 071.
18. "Canberra Times: SCOREBOARD". The Canberra Times. Canberra, Australia. Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 6 July 2011. WCTS88924540.
19. "AAP News: WPOL:Stingers squad named for worlds". AAP News. Australia: Financial Times Limited – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 5 July 2011. WAAP88910998.
20. Packwood, David (1 January 2012). "London looms as a splash and grab job – - COUNTRY SPORT". The Sunday Telegraph. Sydney, Australia. p. 073.
21. Tuxworth, Jon (21 February 2012). "Stinger survivors in the swim for third Olympics". The Canberra Times. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. p. 19.

External links

• Sophie Smith at World Athletics
• Sophie Smith at Olympics.com
• Sophie Smith at the Australian Olympic Committee
• Sophie Smith at Olympedia