St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School swimming sensation Sophie Martin finds her calling in sport

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School’s Sophie Martin, who swims with the Brisbane Grammar Swimming Club, snared an extraordinary seven medals at the recent Australian Age Swimming Championships.

Sophie Martin has found her calling in sport — and it certainly was not athletics.

Martin, who swims with the Brisbane Grammar Swimming Club, snared an extraordinary seven medals at the recent Australian Age Swimming Championships.

The 13-year-old powered her way to two individual gold medals — in the 200m IM and 100m breaststroke — four individual silver medals and one relay silver medal.

Brisbane Grammar Swimming Club's Sophie Martin.

Asked how she started in swimming, the West End State School past student smiled before saying: “I was absolutely horrible at little athletics. My sister used to win all the things and I always came last, dead last. But then I decided to swap to swimming one day.’’

And the rest is history.

The St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School student said she did not expect such a lavish haul of medals from the recent nationals, although she had been training hard. “It is good that it all paid off,’’ she said.

“It is very satisfying, especially when you finish in the pool and you see your name first on that board and you see cameras zoom in on you.

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“The coaches are there, your family is there supporting you and you think “I’ve done it’.

Martin, who is coached by David Lush, swims in the same elite squad as swim great Emily Seebohm, recent national dual gold medal winner Minna Atherton and fellow St Margaret’s student Tahlia Thornton who recently earned selection on the Australian team bound for the world juniors.

“Being in the squad, it is amazing to see how they train at their level, especially Emily, and all the different ways they train. It is a very good example and very motivating,’’ Martin said.