Sophie Earley (born 13 May 2006) is a Northern Irish table tennis player who represents England. As of November 2021, she ranked twelfth in the world Under-15 division.[2] She participated at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the Women's singles and Mixed doubles. In singles, Earley reached the round of 16 before being knocked out and in the Mixed doubles she reached the round of 32 alongside Owen Cathcart before being knocked out.
| Sophie Earley | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Northern Ireland |
| Born | 13 May 2006 |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] |
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb)[1] |
Table tennis career | |
| Playing style | Shakehand |
Biography
editSophie Earley is from Carryduff, Northern Ireland and was born on 13 May 2006.[3][1] Earley studies at Malone College, Belfast.[2] She studies A-level biology and psychology online and lives in Nottingham, England.[4]
In October 2018, Earley became the first 12-year-old to win an adult ranking event in Ireland.[5] She was part of the Ormeau Table Tennis Club before joining the a club in Nîmes, France.[5][4] BBC Sport called Earley "one of the brighest table tennis prospects in the British Isles".[5] Earley won bronze at the 2021 European Youth Championships in the Under 15s division in both singles and doubles (with Silvia Coll of Spain). This made her the first Irish player to achieve a medal at the tournament.[6][3] She won the silver medal the ITTF Youth contender competition.[2] Earley received £2,000 in funding from Bluewater Financial Planning bursary associated with the Mary Peters Trust.[2] As of November 2021, she ranked twelfth in the world Under-15 division.[2]
Earley participated at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the Women's singles and Mixed doubles.[7][8] In singles, in the preliminary stage she beat both Priscilla Greaves of Guyana and Christy Bristol of Seychelles 4–0.[7] In the round of 32, she beat Zhou Jingyi of Singapore 4–3 before losing to Canada's Zhang Mo 3–4 in the round of 16.[7] In the Mixed doubles, she played alongside Owen Cathcart and first won against Seychelles's Godfrey Sultan and Bristol 3–0 in the round of 64.[8] In the round of 32, they lost to 0—3 India's Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula who ended up winning gold.[8]
In January 2023, Earley and her family moved from Northern Ireland to England and in June she switched international teams from Ireland to England after it was confirmed by the ITTF.[9] She is eligible to represent Team GB immediately but has to wait until 2028 to represent England at the World and European Championships (Team and Individual).[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Sophie Earley". Birmingham2022.com. Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games Limited. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e McKendry, Adam. "Rising Northern Ireland stars Sophie Earley and Oliver Gunning have Commonwealth Games dream". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b Jones, Robert. "Sophie Earley (15) is hoping for a scoop of success at the Table Tennis Ulster Open". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Sophie Earley". Mary Peters Trust. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Sidebottom, Mark (11 October 2018). "Twelve-year-old table tennis star showing 'Earley' promise". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Sophie EARLEY together with Silvia COLL brought Ireland first medal ever at the European championships". ettu.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Table Tennis results - Select Filter by Event - Women's Singles". Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Table Tennis results - Select Filter by Event - Mixed Doubles". Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b Stimpson, Paul (21 June 2023). "Earley switch to England is confirmed". Table Tennis England. Retrieved 7 September 2024.