Natasha Olson-Thorne

Natasha Shangwe Olson-Thorne (born 6 October 1992) is a Hong Kong rugby union player. She represented Hong Kong at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland, Hong Kong's first World Cup appearance. Olson-Thorne created history when she scored Hong Kong's first World Cup try in their match against Wales.[1][2]

Natasha Olson-Thorne
Date of birth (1992-10-06) October 6, 1992
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Inside Centre
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–  Hong Kong
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2011–  Hong Kong

Biography

Olson-Thorne began playing rugby at the age of 15 while attending Sha Tin College.[3] She made her international debut for the Hong Kong women's national rugby union team in 2010.[3][4] She then made her sevens debut at the 2011 Hong Kong Women's Sevens. [5][6][3]

In 2015 she graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Health.[3][4] She captained the sevens team for the first time at the 2016 Hong Kong Women's Sevens, it was her sixth appearance at the tournament.[3] Olson-Thorne was also in the sevens team vying for a spot at the 2016 Summer Olympics via a repechage tournament in Dublin.[7] She was in the 2021 sevens squad that 'narrowly' missed their chance on qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[8]

She co-captained the Hong Kong sevens team at the 2021 Asia Women's Sevens Series, it was a qualifier event for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens.[9][10] However, they lost to Japan in the semifinal and missed their chance.[11]

Olson-Thorne was named in the fifteens squad that played in a two-test series against Kazakhstan in December 2022.[12][13][14]

References
  1. Agars, Sam (2017-08-18). "Watch: Olson-Thorne scores Hong Kong's first ever World Cup try". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  2. "Natasha Olson-Thorne Becomes Hong Kong's First Player to Score Rugby World Cup Try". www.asiatraveltips.com. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  3. "Natasha Olson-Thorne Captain's Hong Kong". www.bcmagazine.net. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. "Natasha Olson-Thorne to make her senior debut as captain of Hong Kong Women's Sevens". hksevens.com. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  5. "Hong Kong Rugby Union". Hong Kong Rugby Union. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  6. "Natasha Olson-Thorne to make her senior debut as captain of Hong Kong Women's Sevens". hksevens.com. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  7. "How I Liv: Natasha Olson-Thorne". Liv Magazine. 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  8. "Hong Kong, China sevens squads narrowly miss out on tickets to Tokyo". Asia Rugby. 2021-06-20. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  9. "Young guns join women's seven for crucial Asian Series event in Dubai". Hong Kong Rugby Union. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  10. "HK women aim to shine with speedy and flexible squad". The Standard. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  11. "Hong Kong men dominate China to qualify for World Cup finals". South China Morning Post. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  12. "Hong Kong v Kazakhstan: Everything You Need To Know". Hong Kong Rugby Union. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  13. "Hong Kong Women XV Celebrate Win Over Kazakhstan". RugbyAsia247. 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  14. "Hong Kong Women XV Looking For Series Clean Sweep Over Kazakhstan". RugbyAsia247. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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