Sandra Morgan

Sandra Morgan

Morgan in 1958
Personal information
Full name	Sandra Anne Morgan
National team	Australia
Born	(1942-06-06) 6 June 1942 (age 81) Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia[1]
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)[1]
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Bankstown
Medal record Representing Australia Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff 4×110 yd freestyle

Sandra Anne Morgan (born 6 June 1942), also known by her married name Sandra Beavis, or as Sandra Morgan-Beavis, is an Australian former freestyle swimmer who was part of the gold medal-winning team in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. At the age of 14 years and 6 months, she became the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, a record that still stands.

Morgan began serious training in early 1956 and won Olympic selection for the relay team as well as the 400-metre freestyle. Morgan's selection in the final quartet raised controversy because of her inexperience in top-level racing and her history of false starts. During the final, she lifted her head out of the water and saw her American opponent ahead of her, prompting her to regain the lead with a late burst in the third leg. Australia went on to win the relay in world record time. In her only individual event, Morgan came sixth in the 400-metre freestyle.

In 1957, she won the 110-, 220-, and 440-yard treble at the Australian Championships in the absence of her main rivals, but from that point on her career was plagued by illness and weight problems. She was selected in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games purely as a relay swimmer, winning gold in the event. At her second Olympic Games, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she only competed in the 4 × 100 relay heats; her teammates went on to win silver in the final. She retired from competitive swimming following the Rome Olympics.

In retirement, she has continued her involvement in swimming and the Olympics by teaching disabled children to swim and participating in Olympic educational programs and torch relays. She is also an ambassador for Australia Day and has appeared on television as part of her work with Christian groups.