Rachel Ah Koy (born May 31, 1989) is a

Fiji Islander Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. She is the granddaughter of businessman, politician, and diplomat Sir James Ah Koy. She competed in the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

, setting a national record in the women's 50 metres

breaststroke Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...

, with a time of 34.99 sec. during the qualifiers, and a national record in the women's 100 m breaststroke heats, with a time of 1:17.33. Ah Koy also competed in the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

; she qualified for the semi-finals in both the 50 m and 100 m events, but failed to reach the finals. Ah Koy won a silver medal in the women's 200m individual

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

at the 2003 South Pacific Games, at the age of 14, behind New Caledonia's

Diane Bui Duyet Diane Bui Duyet, sometimes spelled "Bui-Duyet", (born 22 December 1979 in Nouméa, New Caledonia) is a French New Caledonian swimmer. Due to the New Caledonia's status as an overseas territory of France, Bui Duyet competes for New Caledonia in re ...

and ahead of fellow Fiji Islander

Caroline Pickering Caroline Pickering Puamau (born 1 May 1980) is a 2-time Olympic and national record-holding swimmer from Fiji. She swam at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics; as well as at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She also competed in the 2003 South ...

. Ah Koy won gold in the women's 100m breaststroke. She also competed in the 2007 South Pacific Games, winning a silver medal in the women's 200m individual medley, behind New Caledonia's

Lara Grangeon Lara Grangeon (born 21 September 1991) is a French swimmer from the territory of New Caledonia who competes in the individual medley and butterfly events. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she finished 18th overall in the heats in the 400 metre individ ...

. She was invited by the Fiji Swimming Association to seek a qualifying spot to represent Fiji at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, but declined, citing her time-consuming studies at Otago University in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

.Swimmers at turning point new seasons
Aaron Kolinisau, ''Fiji Times'', March 26, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ah Koy, Rachel 1989 births Living people Fijian female swimmers Female breaststroke swimmers Female medley swimmers Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Fiji Fijian people of Chinese descent People from Kadavu Province I-Taukei Fijian people