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
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–  Hong Kong
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2011–  Hong Kong
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing  Hong Kong
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2022 HangzhouTeam

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][4][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.[6] She was in the 2021 sevens squad that 'narrowly' missed their chance to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[7]

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.[8][9] However, they lost to Japan in the semifinal and missed their chance.[10]

Olson-Thorne was named in the fifteens squad that played in a two-test series against Kazakhstan in December 2022.[11][12][13]

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. "How I Liv: Natasha Olson-Thorne". Liv Magazine. 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  7. "Hong Kong, China sevens squads narrowly miss out on tickets to Tokyo". Asia Rugby. 2021-06-20. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  8. "Young guns join women's seven for crucial Asian Series event in Dubai". Hong Kong Rugby Union. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  9. "HK women aim to shine with speedy and flexible squad". The Standard. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  10. "Hong Kong men dominate China to qualify for World Cup finals". South China Morning Post. 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  11. "Hong Kong v Kazakhstan: Everything You Need To Know". Hong Kong Rugby Union. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  12. "Hong Kong Women XV Celebrate Win Over Kazakhstan". RugbyAsia247. 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  13. "Hong Kong Women XV Looking For Series Clean Sweep Over Kazakhstan". RugbyAsia247. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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