In the 2011 Royal Varuna Yacht Club Santa Race, Sophia Montgomery began her competitive sailing career with a "First Girl Without Overall Prize" award. Twelve years later, she stands at the same place with a hard-earned ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics in her pocket.
For Sophia, the leadup to this feat has been a journey of pushing her own boundaries and rediscovering her drive and passion for sailing.
Sophia began her competitive sailing career in 2011. PR
THE BALANCING ACT
Sophia didn't start with a goal for her sailing. She continued to come back week after week for the simple reason of "having fun and wanting to improve to keep up with my friends."
It was with this support of her friends and coaches, her consistency brought her to where she is today. As the importance of sailing grew within her life Sophia had to learn how to balance it with another priority: her education.
"Sailing was never the priority. My parents have always taught me that school comes first," she said.
In high school, Sophia pursued an International Baccalaureate Diploma, studying higher level Physics, Math, Psychology, and standard level Art, English and Thai at NIST International School in Bangkok. She also had a passion for martial arts and practised for her black belt in taekwondo.
While this balancing act was challenging, Sophia attributes her successes in both academics and sports to the skills transferred between them.
"Sports taught me discipline, consistency, and independence, which helped me stay on top of school. Whereas school taught me critical thinking and reasoning that helped me reflect and improve quickly as a sailor," she added.
This balancing act continues as Sophia attends Harvard University in the United States.
Sophia is a member of the Harvard Sailing Team and has been participating in competitions nationwide.
She also had the opportunity to join training camps abroad with Thailand's first woman to qualify for the Olympics in sailing, Kamolwan (Bam) Chanyim. These experiences helped Sophia realise that becoming an Olympian was a realistic and obtainable goal.
"My opportunity to train with P'Bam overseas opened my eyes to the pathway to make my Olympic dream a reality. I learned how the elites train, how they fuel, how they structure their day -- basically how they live their life to sail and perform at the highest level," said Sophia.
"I tried doing both [university and sailing] at first, but I realised halfway into my sophomore year that I wasn't improving; if anything, I was getting worse. My performance at international competitions was plummeting.
"I knew from my time with P'Bam what work the other girls were putting in, and I just didn't have enough time in the day to just match that. But to beat them, you had to be doing even more. That's when I knew I had to take time off if I wanted a spot at the Games."
Thus, the difficult decision was made to take a gap year from studying at university and pursue a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
THE ROAD TO PARIS 2024
The decision to focus on this new goal tested the perseverance and resolve Sophia had built over her career.
Sophia reflects on previous regattas where she remembered feeling that the pressure was so overwhelming that she "forgot why [she] was sailing in the first place".
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games was the first Olympic Qualifier event for Sophia and she admitted to wilting under pressure.
"I wanted to win a medal and I wanted to qualify. I ended up putting unnecessary -- and honestly unrealistic -- pressure on myself. I had just committed to sailing full-time. It didn't make sense to aim so high, but I was so result-orientated that I ruined the small chance I did have. At times, it felt like somebody else was sailing my boat. Each mistake I made was costly, and I finished sixth."
The next two Olympic tickets were up for grabs at the 2023 Asian Sailing Championships and Continental Qualifier held at Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, where Sophia grew up sailing. And this time she was prepared for these events.
"I didn't do anything special or extra to prepare. I just showed up and stayed consistent. I was also very lucky that it was at home because I was constantly surrounded by the support of my coaches, friends and family."
Her grit and consistency in turn developed her technique and intuition to make quick decisions on the water.
Outside of school and sailing, Sophia fills her free time with baking, working out, reading and art -- particularly charcoal drawings. These activities have allowed her to establish a routine that helps her overcome the pressure of competition.
Her two-month training block proved successful. Despite the immense stress of the six-day qualifier, Sophia maintained a podium position until the last day of the competition at Royal Varuna Yacht Club.
The adrenaline-filled final race was for double points. Mid-race, Sophia made the difficult decision to forego her shot at finishing on the podium in favour of protecting her Olympic ticket.
Sophia headed into the final race in third place, whereas Chinese sailors occupied first, second and fourth spots. India had a sailor in fifth, twelve points behind Sophia.
As the two Olympic tickets go to the top two nations -- not sailors -- on the leaderboard, if the Indian sailor could finish seven boats in front of Sophia, the ticket was hers.
"After the start, the Chinese sailors went left, and the Indian sailor went right. I chose to split with the Chinese and stay with India to make sure that [India] couldn't create a gap and gain those points on me. Of the final 10-boat fleet, I finished ninth and India tenth. Although I lost the podium, the result was worth it. The goal was always the ticket -- not a medal."
For Sophia, obtaining the Olympic ticket was "one of the most stressful sailing events" of her life.
From the trembling little girl in 2011 to the sailor bravely facing the pressure of an Olympic qualifier, Sophia's journey is an inspiring reminder that success comes from enjoying what you do and doing it day after day.
