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Tanya Harding

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For the American figure skater, see Tonya Harding.

Tanya Harding
Medal record
Women's Softball
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Team
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Team
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens Team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Team

Tanya Victoria Harding (born 23 January 1972 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian softball player, who has competed for Australia at four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996. Three times she claimed a bronze medal (1996, 2000, 2008), and once a silver medal (2004).

Playing career

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The Queenslander was ranked in the top five pitchers in the world for over a decade.[1]

In 1995, Harding enrolled at UCLA for one quarter. She played on the squad that won the NCAA women's softball championships, and was named MVP of the tournament.[2] After UCLA captured the NCAA National Championship, Harding returned to her homeland without taking final exams or earning a single college credit.[3]

However, in 1997 UCLA was stripped of its 1995 title for scholarship violations. Three softball players had been granted soccer scholarships, putting the Bruins three over the limit for softball. Although the three players involved were not identified, it was believed that one of them was Harding.[4] Runner-up Arizona was not declared the champion, as there was no way to determine if Arizona would have won had Harding not been involved. Officially, there is no champion for 1995.

In 2022, she was inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[5]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Australian Olympic Committee: Tanya Harding". corporate.olympics.com.au.
  2. ^ "NCAA Division I Softball Championships". Archived from the original on 23 February 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2006.
  3. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: WOMEN'S SOFTBALL;'Not a Hired Gun,' Says Tanya Harding". The New York Times. 13 June 1995. Retrieved 22 October 2006.
  4. ^ Hawai'i's not the first to vacate NCAA title. The Honolulu Advertiser, 6 September 2003.
  5. ^ "2022 SAHOF Inductees & Award Winners". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
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