| Sofia Shah | |
| Full Name: | Sofia Gadegaard Shah |
| Strokes: | Freestyle |
| High School: | Lincoln School[1] |
| College: | College of William and Mary - Class of 2020--> |
| Club: | Thanyapura |
| Birth Date: | 9 August 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Height: | 5 ft 4 in |
| Weight: | 121 lb |
| National Team: | Nepal (2013–present) |
Sofia Gadegaard Shah (Nepali: सोफिया शाह; born 9 August 1997) is a Nepalese origin swimmer,[2] [3] who has represented Nepal since 2013. In 2014, she was nominated in the Popular Player of the Year category of the Pulsar Sports Awards.[4]
Shah was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but was raised from a young age in Kathmandu, Nepal with her family. She has a Nepali father and Danish mother. His brother Alexander is also a swimmer. She attended Lincoln School from 2000- to 2015 and swam for the high school SAISA team. Shah was awarded the U.S. Presidential Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In May 2015, she was awarded a FINA one-year "Road to Rio" scholarship to train in Thanyapura Phuket, Thailand.[5] Shah attended the College of William and Mary for her first year of college, and then transferred to Pepperdine University.
Shah has won a total of 102 gold national medals, along with 35 silver and 22 bronze medals.
She competed in the 50 m and 200 m freestyle events at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. Shah set a new national record in heat rounds of the women's 200 meter freestyle during the 16th FINA World Championship in Kazan, Russia. She finished in 60th place among 63 participants, completing the distance in 2 minutes 18.93 seconds.[6]
Shah entered finals in all her events at the 12th South Asian Games 2016 in Guwahati, India. This was the first international meet in which she qualified for finals.[7]
She has represented Nepal at:
| Event | Time | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50m Freestyle | 28.85 | 12th South Asian Games, India 2016 | |
| 100m Freestyle | 1:02.10 | 12th South Asian Games, India 2016 | |
| 200m Freestyle | 2:13.32 | 12th South Asian Games, India 2016 | |
| 400m Freestyle | 4:53.93 | FINA/Airweave Swimming World Cup, Dubai 2015 | |
| 400m Individual Medley | 5:47.69 | 12th South Asian Games, India 2016 |
Shah currently holds the Nepalese national records in the 50m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 400m Individual Medley.