| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Sonia Scown (1973-02-19)19 February 1973 (age 52)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relative(s) | Alistair Scown (father) Rebecca Scown (cousin) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sonia Waddell (néeScown; born 19 February 1973) is a New Zealand athlete. She represented her country at aWorld Junior Championship in hurdles before becoming arower, in which sport she was twice an Olympic competitor and where she won silver at aWorld Rowing Championship. She later competed as a cyclist and won medals at aUCI Para-cycling Track World Championship as a sighted guide.
Waddell is the daughter of formerAll BlackAlistair Scown and sister of rugby player Hayden Scown. In 1998,[2] she married fellow rowerRob Waddell.[3][4] RowerRebecca Scown is her cousin.[5]
Waddell represented New Zealand in the 400 m hurdles at the1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics inPlovdiv, Bulgaria.[6]
She first represented her country in rowing at the1995 World Rowing Championships inTampere, Finland, where she came ninth in the women's quadruple sculls.[7] From 1997 onwards, she competed in the single sculls, and at theWorld Rowing Championships in1997,1998, and1999, she placed tenth, tenth, and fifth, respectively.[8][9][10] At the2000 and2004 Summer Olympics, she continued to compete in the single sculls, placing sixth and fifth, respectively.[1][11][12]
She won a silver medal in the2001 World Rowing Championships in the quadruple sculls,[13] alongsidePaula Twining and twinsCaroline andGeorgina Evers-Swindell.[14] In the2003 World Rowing Championships, she competed in the single sculls and came seventh.[15]
In 2011, she won the New Zealand Cycling Time Trial Championship.[16]
At the2011 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships she took one gold and one bronze as apilot, with teammateJayne Parsons.[17]
