Sophia Hartley

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87 appearances 1 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2026 last heard 23 Jul

Sophia Hartley’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 1.

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The Documentary Podcast · The spirit of Tala: The rapid rise of Tonga's netball team · 23 Jul 2026 podcast

In 2020, there was a worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus that spread rapidly, causing millions of illnesses and deaths.

The pandemic disrupted daily life and economies across the globe.

Tonga effectively closed its borders to international travel, and because of that, coupled with a vaccination programme, they had managed to remain Covid-free.

That was until a seismic event in January 2022 that shook the nation.

And then for the first time in two years, COVID cases started to rise in Tonga.

Two years after the rest of the world, Tonga entered its first ever lockdown in February 2022.

Here's Tonga's head coach, Jack Weirigan.

Tonga were due to represent the nation at the 2022 Pacific Alps Games in March.

The series brought together the national teams of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga and an invitee, Singapore.

Here's Tongan player Lutaveva back in 2022.

Tonga beat Fiji 60-52 to win their first gold at the Pacific Oz Games.

It was remarkable.

How do a group of strangers meet for the first time five days before competing and go undefeated?

Back home, Tonga's winning performances were lifting the spirits of a nation beset by devastation.

The Tongans' remarkable rise didn't stop there.

Later that year, they went undefeated at the 2023 Oceania Netball World Cup qualifiers, which booked their spot for the 2023 World Cup, Tonga's first netball World Cup since 1999.

Salote's dream and aspirations had come true.

Tonga had won gold, reached the World Cup and Tonga had smashed into the top ten, two years before her intended goal.

This July, the Tongantalas will continue to make history when they compete at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.

What does success look like for Tonga at the Commonwealth Games?

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