Growing up in Western Australia, Sonja Johnson learned to ride by mustering cattle on her parent’s property. She joined her local Pony Club at around five years old, and at 13, finished second at the Pony Club State Eventing Championships.
In 1996 she was named Australian Event Rider of the Year and was selected as the non-travelling reserve for the Atlanta Olympics. While based with Andrew Hoy in the UK, she competed at many of Europe's largest events, and in 2006, was a member of the Australian bronze medal winning team at the FEI World Equestrian Games.
She brought home team silver from her Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing games, and in 2019, team gold from the Oceania Championships. She was also the eventing team’s reserve combination for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
She talked to podcast host Charlie Brister on a range of topics, from the value her coaches have added to her life, to how she trains for skinnies. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation!