Sandra Morgan
Encyclopedia
Sandra Anne Morgan is a former Australia
n freestyle
swimmer, who won gold in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
. 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 m freestyle. Morgan's selection in the final quartet raised controversy because of her inexperience in top-level racing and her history of false start
s. 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 m freestyle.
In 1957, she won the 110–220–440 yd 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 Olympics in 1960
in Rome
, she only competed in the 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.
city of Tamworth
, before growing up in Punchbowl
, a suburb in western Sydney
. Morgan was the oldest of four children, with two sisters and a brother. Her father Barrington, a plumber, had success as a swimmer in his childhood, but a lack of facilities in rural Australia curtailed his career. As a result he vowed that his daughter would become a national champion. Morgan said her father "became my driving and inspirational force. I not only fulfilled his ambition, but surpassed it by becoming an Olympic champion!" Morgan also cited her meetings with Frederick Lane
—Australia's first Olympic gold medallist in swimming—and the Olympic athletics champion Marjorie Jackson-Nelson as key inspirational moments in her career.
Morgan learned to swim at Bankstown
at the age of seven. She was initially slow to learn and her coach used a long pole attached to a rope and belt to maintain her safety. This allowed him to fish her out of the water if she fell into difficulty. Due to her slow learning, Morgan was given twice the number of lessons as the other students. At the age of eight, she won the district championship and in 1953, aged 11, she won the New South Wales (NSW) Primary School Championships. In February 1956, aged 13, she was taken for serious training. Her father transferred her to the tutelage of Frank Guthrie
in Enfield
. At the time, Guthrie was regarded as one of the best coaches in the state; his students included Gary Chapman
, Kevin O'Halloran
and Lorraine Crapp
. All three would win Olympic medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics
; Crapp won an individual gold medal. Her mother had to drive her to Enfield, as her father was busy with the plumbing business.
Although her times were among the fastest in the country, Morgan's youth prevented selection for the Olympic training squad. However, the Australian Swimming Union
allowed her to join the squad for training in Townsville
at her own expense. Her family was unable to meet these costs, but a fundraising campaign by the Bankstown community allowed her to make the trip. Training in the Tobruk Memorial Baths
alongside swimmers such as Crapp, Alva Colquhuon
, Faith Leech
and Dawn Fraser
, Morgan's times steadily improved. The team were expected to swim three times a day, totalling more than 16 km (9.9 mi). However, Morgan was not regarded as a likely selection in the final team.
Following the training camp, a series of selection trials were held in Brisbane
and Melbourne
. In three 100 m races, Morgan came third, fifth and fourth respectively, with a best time of 1 min 7.3 s. She recorded a best performance of third in a time of 5 m 10.0 s in the 400 m freestyle behind Crapp and Fraser. Australia was entitled to three representatives in each individual event, thus allowing Morgan to compete in her first Olympics. Morgan missed out in the 100 m freestyle as Fraser, Crapp and Leech were selected, but she gained an individual berth in the 400 m along with Fraser and Crapp. She was one of six swimmers selected for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad, the first from Australia to compete at Olympic level. Morgan was placed under substantial pressure by media commentary that regarded her as the weak link in the relay team.
and the United States respectively, both of which swam in the first heat.
The selection of Leech and Morgan for the December 6 final generated controversy, as they were the two youngest swimmers in the squad and lacked experience at open level competition. Both had competed only once at senior Australian level; Morgan had twice false started at the 1956 Australian Championships, while Leech had been too ill to compete. Australia was the favourite for the relay, having swept the medals in the individual 100 m event; Fraser, Crapp and Leech finished first, second and third. The favouritism was even more marked because Fraser and Crapp were three seconds faster than everyone else in the world.
The Australian team made a poor start in the final after Fraser almost stopped during the first leg, believing that a false start had occurred after mistakenly hearing a second gunshot. She finished her leg in 1 min 4.0 s, almost two seconds slower than her personal best, but enough for a 2.3 s over the United States
' Sylvia Ruuska
. Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 m but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 min 5.1 s; 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
. With 25 m left, Morgan took her head out of the water—a fundamental error—and seeing the American a bodylength in front, responded with a surge to regain a 0.7 s lead heading into the final changeover. Crapp then extended the margin to 2.2 s to secure an Australian victory in a world record time of 4 m 17.1 s. The victory was the first time that Australia had swept the 100 m freestyle relay and individual events for both men and women. The only other time that this has been achieved was by the Americans in 1920
in Antwerp. The win would be Australia's only triumph in a female swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 games
in Athens
. The victory made Morgan Australia's youngest ever gold medallist; this record still stands.
Morgan's individual event was the 400 m freestyle. She reduced her personal best by 2.3 s in recording a time of 5 min 7.8 s in the heats, just 0.2 s behind Marley Shriver of the United States, who set a new Olympic record. The mark was surpassed in later heats by Fraser and Crapp, but Morgan nevertheless qualified fourth fastest for the final, almost seven seconds faster than the cutoff. The final was held the day after the relay final. Morgan was unable to repeat her heat performance, finishing sixth in a time of 5 min 14.3 s, far outside her personal best. Had she repeated her heat swim, she would have placed fourth, just 0.7 s from the bronze medal. Nevertheless, she noted that "I was so happy that I had made the final in an individual event in the Olympic Games, for this was my first appearance in a senior competition".
Upon her return to the City of Bankstown
, Morgan was honoured with a civic reception and presented with a gold watch and life membership of the Bankstown Pool. However, her stay at the Olympic Village had given rise to a new problem. She enjoyed the food so much that she had gained 9.5 kilograms (20.9 lb) in weight, and now stood at 170 centimetre and weighed 76.2 kilograms (168 lb). This heralded the start of a continual weight problem.
; the 110 yd, 220 yd and 440 yd freestyle, in times of 1 min 7.8 s, 2 min 29.3 s and 5 m 21.6 s respectively, times that were slower than her bests in 1956. She was part of the New South Wales team that won the 4 × 100 yd freestyle and medley relays, anchoring both quartets.
In 1958, Crapp and Fraser returned to the pool, while Ilsa Konrads
emerged as a leading swimmer. At the Australian Championships, Morgan came third in both the 110 yd and 440 yd freestyle events; Fraser won both and Crapp and Konrads placed second in the 110 yd and 440 yd freestyle respectively. Morgan was selected for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
in Cardiff
, Wales
, but only in the 4 × 110 yd freestyle relay. Along with Fraser, Crapp and Konrads, she broke the world record for the event in March in Sydney with a time of 4 min 18.9 s. At the Empire Games, Fraser, Crapp, Morgan and Colquhuon lowered the world record to a time of 4 min 17.4 s to win gold.
After the Empire Games, the Australian team returned home via France
, Austria
, Germany
, Netherlands
, Italy
and Singapore
for a series of competitions. Morgan's best performances were at the Dutch and French Championships, where she came third in the 400 m events. In 1959, she placed third in both the 440 yd 880 yd freestyle events at the Australian Championships. Her swimming career was then interrupted by bronchitis
, which developed into bronchial pneumonia. The illness forced her to take an extended break. Her chest problems persisted when she returned to competition at the 1960 Australian Championships, placing third in the 220 yd and 440 yd freestyle and fifth in the 110 yd freestyle. She gained selection for the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
as a member of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad. She swam the first leg in the heats, posting a time of 1 min 5.5 s, giving Australia a 1.0 s lead. Australia led at every change and went on to win its heat by five seconds, qualifying fastest for the final. However, 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. Under the rules of the time, heat swimmers were not awarded medals if the final quartet placed in the top three positions. Suffering from periodic chest pain, Morgan retired from competitive swimming in December 1960.
and Orange
for six years before returning to Sydney. She experimented with coaching, but found the competition unappealing and became a schoolteacher. In 1978, she began teaching handicapped children to swim in her backyard pool, and was given a government grant to continue her work. She 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, Morgan successfully fought a life-threatening battle against lupus
, and she now lives in Sutherland Shire
in southern Sydney.
A committed Christian, Morgan currently works as a public speaker at functions for Seasons Christian Women's Conference. From January 1996 to mid-1999, she lived in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia, along with her husband, who was posted there by his employer. During that time, Morgan worked as a Bible teacher. She has also appeared on Face to Face, a Christian television talk show that screens on the Ten Network.
In 1995, 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
. She 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, 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. She has been awarded the honour of carrying the Olympic torch during its passage through Australia in both 2000 and 2004. Morgan is an Australia Day
ambassador, and travels to regional towns promoting the annual celebrations.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer, who won gold in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
. 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 m freestyle. Morgan's selection in the final quartet raised controversy because of her inexperience in top-level racing and her history of false start
False start
In sports, a false start is a movement by a participant before being signaled or otherwise permitted by the rules to start...
s. 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 m freestyle.
In 1957, she won the 110–220–440 yd 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
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, capital of Wales from 18–26 July 1958.Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya...
purely as a relay swimmer, winning gold in the event. At her second Olympics in 1960
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, she only competed in the 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
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
and has appeared on television as part of her work with Christian groups.
Early years
Morgan was born in the north-western New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
city of Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, before growing up in Punchbowl
Punchbowl, New South Wales
Punchbowl, a suburb of local government areas City of Bankstown and the City of Canterbury is located 17 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region.- History :Punchbowl is named for a...
, a suburb in western Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Morgan was the oldest of four children, with two sisters and a brother. Her father Barrington, a plumber, had success as a swimmer in his childhood, but a lack of facilities in rural Australia curtailed his career. As a result he vowed that his daughter would become a national champion. Morgan said her father "became my driving and inspirational force. I not only fulfilled his ambition, but surpassed it by becoming an Olympic champion!" Morgan also cited her meetings with Frederick Lane
Frederick Lane
Frederick Claude Vivian Lane was an Australian swimmer.Lane, from Manly, New South Wales, was the first Australian to represent his country in swimming at the Olympic Games, although he was actually a part of the British team when he competed at the 1900 Paris Games and won two gold medals.He...
—Australia's first Olympic gold medallist in swimming—and the Olympic athletics champion Marjorie Jackson-Nelson as key inspirational moments in her career.
Morgan learned to swim at Bankstown
Bankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
at the age of seven. She was initially slow to learn and her coach used a long pole attached to a rope and belt to maintain her safety. This allowed him to fish her out of the water if she fell into difficulty. Due to her slow learning, Morgan was given twice the number of lessons as the other students. At the age of eight, she won the district championship and in 1953, aged 11, she won the New South Wales (NSW) Primary School Championships. In February 1956, aged 13, she was taken for serious training. Her father transferred her to the tutelage of Frank Guthrie
Frank Guthrie
Frank Edward Huntingdon Guthrie was an England born South African international rugby union half-back. Although born in Notting Hill, London, Guthrie was educated at Diocesan College in Cape Town, where he also played provincial rugby for Western Province...
in Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
. At the time, Guthrie was regarded as one of the best coaches in the state; his students included Gary Chapman
Gary Chapman (swimmer)
Gary Arthur Chapman was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s who won a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics...
, Kevin O'Halloran
Kevin O'Halloran
Kevin O'Halloran was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. The first Western Australian to win Olympic gold, O'Halloran learnt to swim in his home town of Katanning...
and Lorraine Crapp
Lorraine Crapp
Lorraine Crapp is a former Olympic swimming champion representing Australia. She competed in two Olympic Games — the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. She won two Olympic gold medals in 1956...
. All three would win Olympic medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
; Crapp won an individual gold medal. Her mother had to drive her to Enfield, as her father was busy with the plumbing business.
National selection
Under Guthrie's coaching, Morgan quickly became one of the fastest junior swimmers in the state, winning the under-14 110 yd and 55 yd freestyle as well as the 110 yd butterfly at the New South Wales Championships in 1956. She went on to win the junior 110 yd freestyle at the Australian Championships, despite causing two false starts. After the national titles, she represented Marrickville Junior Girls' High School and won the State Combined High School Championship in the 110 yd freestyle.Although her times were among the fastest in the country, Morgan's youth prevented selection for the Olympic training squad. However, the Australian Swimming Union
Swimming Australia
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body currently has approximately 90,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers...
allowed her to join the squad for training in Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
at her own expense. Her family was unable to meet these costs, but a fundraising campaign by the Bankstown community allowed her to make the trip. Training in the Tobruk Memorial Baths
Tobruk Memorial Baths
The Tobruk Memorial Baths in Townsville, Australia is a complex of outdoor swimming pools operated by the Townsville City Council. It is located on The Strand, in the beachside suburb of North Ward.-Facilities:...
alongside swimmers such as Crapp, Alva Colquhuon
Alva Colquhuon
Alva Colquhuon is a former Australian freestyle and butterfly swimmer of the 1950s, who won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics...
, Faith Leech
Faith Leech
Faith Yvonne Leech is a former Australian freestyle swimmer who won gold in the 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay and bronze in the 100 m freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.A tall and lean swimmer known for her elegant technique, Leech started swimming as a...
and Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
, Morgan's times steadily improved. The team were expected to swim three times a day, totalling more than 16 km (9.9 mi). However, Morgan was not regarded as a likely selection in the final team.
Following the training camp, a series of selection trials were held in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. In three 100 m races, Morgan came third, fifth and fourth respectively, with a best time of 1 min 7.3 s. She recorded a best performance of third in a time of 5 m 10.0 s in the 400 m freestyle behind Crapp and Fraser. Australia was entitled to three representatives in each individual event, thus allowing Morgan to compete in her first Olympics. Morgan missed out in the 100 m freestyle as Fraser, Crapp and Leech were selected, but she gained an individual berth in the 400 m along with Fraser and Crapp. She was one of six swimmers selected for the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad, the first from Australia to compete at Olympic level. Morgan was placed under substantial pressure by media commentary that regarded her as the weak link in the relay team.
1956 Summer Olympics
Arriving in Melbourne for the Olympics, Morgan was not assured of a place in the final relay quartet. Fraser and Crapp were rested in the heats on December 4 while the remaining four swimmers qualified the team. Morgan swam the second leg in 1 min 5.4 s, the fastest of the Australians, securing her position in the final four along with Leech. Australia qualified quickest for the final, winning the second heat by 3.1 s. They were 1.8 and 2.3 s faster than South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the United States respectively, both of which swam in the first heat.
The selection of Leech and Morgan for the December 6 final generated controversy, as they were the two youngest swimmers in the squad and lacked experience at open level competition. Both had competed only once at senior Australian level; Morgan had twice false started at the 1956 Australian Championships, while Leech had been too ill to compete. Australia was the favourite for the relay, having swept the medals in the individual 100 m event; Fraser, Crapp and Leech finished first, second and third. The favouritism was even more marked because Fraser and Crapp were three seconds faster than everyone else in the world.
The Australian team made a poor start in the final after Fraser almost stopped during the first leg, believing that a false start had occurred after mistakenly hearing a second gunshot. She finished her leg in 1 min 4.0 s, almost two seconds slower than her personal best, but enough for a 2.3 s over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Sylvia Ruuska
Sylvia Ruuska
Sylvia Elina Ruuska is a retired medley and freestyle swimmer from the United States, who won two Olympic medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia when she was aged fourteen. She captured silver with the women's relay team in the 4x100 m freestyle and bronze in the individual 400...
. Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 m but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 min 5.1 s; 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
Nancy Simons
Nancy Joan Simons-Peterson is a former American swimmer. She represented the United States as an eighteen-year-old at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where she won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay with Sylvia Ruuska, Shelley Mann, and Joan Alderson-Rosazza...
. With 25 m left, Morgan took her head out of the water—a fundamental error—and seeing the American a bodylength in front, responded with a surge to regain a 0.7 s lead heading into the final changeover. Crapp then extended the margin to 2.2 s to secure an Australian victory in a world record time of 4 m 17.1 s. The victory was the first time that Australia had swept the 100 m freestyle relay and individual events for both men and women. The only other time that this has been achieved was by the Americans in 1920
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
in Antwerp. The win would be Australia's only triumph in a female swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. The victory made Morgan Australia's youngest ever gold medallist; this record still stands.
Morgan's individual event was the 400 m freestyle. She reduced her personal best by 2.3 s in recording a time of 5 min 7.8 s in the heats, just 0.2 s behind Marley Shriver of the United States, who set a new Olympic record. The mark was surpassed in later heats by Fraser and Crapp, but Morgan nevertheless qualified fourth fastest for the final, almost seven seconds faster than the cutoff. The final was held the day after the relay final. Morgan was unable to repeat her heat performance, finishing sixth in a time of 5 min 14.3 s, far outside her personal best. Had she repeated her heat swim, she would have placed fourth, just 0.7 s from the bronze medal. Nevertheless, she noted that "I was so happy that I had made the final in an individual event in the Olympic Games, for this was my first appearance in a senior competition".
Upon her return to the City of Bankstown
City of Bankstown
The City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, centred on the suburb of Bankstown....
, Morgan was honoured with a civic reception and presented with a gold watch and life membership of the Bankstown Pool. However, her stay at the Olympic Village had given rise to a new problem. She enjoyed the food so much that she had gained 9.5 kilograms (20.9 lb) in weight, and now stood at 170 centimetre and weighed 76.2 kilograms (168 lb). This heralded the start of a continual weight problem.
Later career
After the Olympics, Crapp and Fraser took a break from competitive swimming, while Leech retired. This allowed Morgan an opening, and she won both the junior and open sprint titles at the 1957 New South Wales Championships. She followed this by winning three individual titles at the Australian Championships in CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
; the 110 yd, 220 yd and 440 yd freestyle, in times of 1 min 7.8 s, 2 min 29.3 s and 5 m 21.6 s respectively, times that were slower than her bests in 1956. She was part of the New South Wales team that won the 4 × 100 yd freestyle and medley relays, anchoring both quartets.
In 1958, Crapp and Fraser returned to the pool, while Ilsa Konrads
Ilsa Konrads
Ilsa Konrads was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won silver in the 4x100 m freestyle relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In her career, she set 12 individual world records, and after her swimming career ended, was the Australasian editor of Belle...
emerged as a leading swimmer. At the Australian Championships, Morgan came third in both the 110 yd and 440 yd freestyle events; Fraser won both and Crapp and Konrads placed second in the 110 yd and 440 yd freestyle respectively. Morgan was selected for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, capital of Wales from 18–26 July 1958.Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, but only in the 4 × 110 yd freestyle relay. Along with Fraser, Crapp and Konrads, she broke the world record for the event in March in Sydney with a time of 4 min 18.9 s. At the Empire Games, Fraser, Crapp, Morgan and Colquhuon lowered the world record to a time of 4 min 17.4 s to win gold.
After the Empire Games, the Australian team returned home via France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
for a series of competitions. Morgan's best performances were at the Dutch and French Championships, where she came third in the 400 m events. In 1959, she placed third in both the 440 yd 880 yd freestyle events at the Australian Championships. Her swimming career was then interrupted by bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
, which developed into bronchial pneumonia. The illness forced her to take an extended break. Her chest problems persisted when she returned to competition at the 1960 Australian Championships, placing third in the 220 yd and 440 yd freestyle and fifth in the 110 yd freestyle. She gained selection for the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a member of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay squad. She swam the first leg in the heats, posting a time of 1 min 5.5 s, giving Australia a 1.0 s lead. Australia led at every change and went on to win its heat by five seconds, qualifying fastest for the final. However, 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. Under the rules of the time, heat swimmers were not awarded medals if the final quartet placed in the top three positions. Suffering from periodic chest pain, Morgan retired from competitive swimming in December 1960.
After swimming
Morgan married George Beavis in 1965 and had three daughters, all of whom enjoyed swimming victories at school and district level. After her marriage, she lived in the outback towns of GriffithGriffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
and Orange
Orange, New South Wales
Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....
for six years before returning to Sydney. She experimented with coaching, but found the competition unappealing and became a schoolteacher. In 1978, she began teaching handicapped children to swim in her backyard pool, and was given a government grant to continue her work. She then ran a swimming school at Bonnet Bay
Bonnet Bay, New South Wales
Bonnet Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bonnet Bay is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2226, which it shares with neighbouring Jannali and Como...
for 15 years and worked at the Bates Drive Special School, receiving a grant to teach preschool handicapped children swimming. In later life, Morgan successfully fought a life-threatening battle against lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Systemic lupus erythematosus , often abbreviated to SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage...
, and she now lives in Sutherland Shire
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
in southern Sydney.
A committed Christian, Morgan currently works as a public speaker at functions for Seasons Christian Women's Conference. From January 1996 to mid-1999, she lived in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia, along with her husband, who was posted there by his employer. During that time, Morgan worked as a Bible teacher. She has also appeared on Face to Face, a Christian television talk show that screens on the Ten Network.
In 1995, 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
Sydney International Aquatic Centre
The Sydney International Aquatic Centre is a swimming venue in Sydney, Australia. For the 2000 Summer Olympics, it hosted the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, the medal events for water polo, and the swimming portion of the modern pentathlon competitions...
. She has been involved in educational programs aimed at promoting the Olympic movement in schools and helps to raise funds for the Australian Olympic Committee
Australian Olympic Committee
The Australian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in Australia for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .-Background:The...
. In 2000, Morgan was awarded the Australian Government's
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for her contributions to the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
held in Sydney and her achievements as a competitor. She has been awarded the honour of carrying the Olympic torch during its passage through Australia in both 2000 and 2004. Morgan is an Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
ambassador, and travels to regional towns promoting the annual celebrations.