38 Facts About Sandra Morgan

Sandra Morgan was selected in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games purely as a relay swimmer, winning gold in the event.

Sandra Morgan retired from competitive swimming following the Rome Olympics.

Sandra Morgan is an ambassador for Australia Day and has appeared on television as part of her work with Christian groups.

Sandra Morgan was born in the north-western New South Wales city of Tamworth, before growing up in Punchbowl, a suburb in South-western Sydney.

Sandra Morgan was the oldest of four children, with two sisters and a brother.

Sandra Morgan learned to swim at Bankstown at the age of 7.

Sandra Morgan was initially slow to learn, and her coach used a long pole attached to a rope and belt to maintain her safety.

Sandra Morgan's father transferred her to the tutelage of Frank Guthrie in Enfield.

Sandra Morgan's mother had to drive her to Enfield, as her father was busy with the plumbing business.

Under Guthrie's coaching, Sandra Morgan quickly became one of the fastest junior swimmers in the state, winning the under-14 110-yard and 55-yard freestyle, as well as the 110-yard butterfly at the New South Wales Championships in 1956.

Sandra Morgan went on to win the junior 110-yard freestyle at the Australian Championships, despite causing two false starts.

Sandra Morgan's family was unable to meet these costs, but a fundraising campaign by the Bankstown community allowed her to make the trip.

Sandra Morgan trained in the Tobruk Memorial Baths alongside swimmers such as Crapp, Alva Colquhoun, Faith Leech and Dawn Fraser, and her times steadily improved.

However, Sandra Morgan was not regarded as a likely selection in the final team.

In three 100-metre races, Sandra Morgan came third, fifth and fourth respectively, with a best time of 1 minute 7.3 seconds.

Sandra Morgan recorded a best performance of third in a time of 5 minutes 10.0 seconds in the 400-metre freestyle behind Crapp and Fraser.

Australia was entitled to three representatives in each individual event, thus allowing Sandra Morgan to compete in her first Olympics.

Sandra Morgan missed out in the 100-metre freestyle as Fraser, Crapp and Leech were selected, but she gained an individual berth in the 400-metre along with Fraser and Crapp.

Sandra Morgan was placed under substantial pressure by media commentary that regarded her as the weak link in the relay team.

Sandra Morgan finished her leg in 1 minute 4.0 seconds, almost two seconds slower than her personal best, but enough for a 2.3-second lead over the United States' Sylvia Ruuska.

Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 metres but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 minute 5.1 seconds; the Australian lead was thus cut to 0.9 s Morgan dived in for the third leg and was then overhauled and passed by American Nancy Simons.

Sandra Morgan reduced her personal best by 2.3 seconds in recording a time of 5 minutes 7.8 seconds in the heats, just 0.2 of a second behind Marley Shriver of the United States, who set a new Olympic record.

Sandra Morgan was unable to repeat her heat performance, finishing sixth in a time of 5 minutes 14.3 seconds, far outside her personal best.

Sandra Morgan enjoyed the food so much that she had gained 9.5 kilograms in weight, and now stood at 170 centimetres and weighed 76.2 kilograms.

Sandra Morgan followed this by winning three individual titles at the Australian Championships in Canberra: the 110-, 220- and 440-yard freestyle, in times of 1 minute 7.8 seconds; 2 minutes 29.3 seconds; and 5 minutes 21.6 seconds, respectively.

Sandra Morgan's times were slower than her bests in 1956.

At the Australian Championships, Sandra Morgan came third in both the 110-yard and 440-yard freestyle events; Fraser won both and Crapp and Konrads placed second in the 110-yard and 440-yard freestyle respectively.

However, Sandra Morgan posted the slowest leg of the Australian quartet and was dropped when Fraser and Konrads were brought into the team for the final, in which Australia won silver.

Sandra Morgan married George Beavis in 1965 and had three daughters, all of whom enjoyed swimming victories at school and district level.

Sandra Morgan experimented with coaching, but found the competition unappealing and became a schoolteacher.

Sandra Morgan then ran a swimming school at Bonnet Bay for 15 years and worked at the Bates Drive Special School, receiving a grant to teach preschool handicapped children swimming.

In later life, Sandra Morgan successfully fought a life-threatening battle against lupus, and in 2004 she was living in Sutherland Shire in southern Sydney.

Sandra Morgan has appeared on Face to Face, a Christian television talk show that screens on the Ten Network.

In 1995, Sandra Morgan was inducted into the Hall of Champions at the State Sports Centre and the Path of Champions at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

Sandra Morgan has been involved in educational programs aimed at promoting the Olympic movement in schools and helps to raise funds for the Australian Olympic Committee.

In 2000, Sandra Morgan was awarded the Australian Government's Australian Sports Medal for her contributions to the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney and her achievements as a competitor.

Sandra Morgan has been awarded the honour of carrying the Olympic torch during its passage through Australia in both 2000 and 2004.

Sandra Morgan is an Australia Day ambassador, and travels to regional towns promoting the annual celebrations.