- Australian rugby sevens team surprises in Paris
- The women’s team failed to win a medal after losing to Canada and the USA
- They were expected to compete for gold at the Olympics
There were many tears in the Parisian sun among the Australian women’s rugby sevens team after they were surprised by Canada and the United States at the Olympic Games.
The Aussies looked unstoppable in France after overwhelming their opponents in the build-up to the double semi-finals on Tuesday prior to the grand final.
However, the women’s team fell apart at the Stade de France, first losing in the semi-final to underdog Canada.
Star player Maddison Levi burst into tears as she watched gold slip away, but the team vowed to give it their all in the bronze medal match against the United States later in the day.
They looked set to clinch bronze after Levi scored a try in the final minute, giving Australia a 12-7 lead into the final minute.
But Alex Sedrick evaded a tackle and sprinted clear on the final move of the game, before converting her effort, prompting wild scenes and tears in the eyes of the Australian group.
Rio gold medallists Australia had won the World Series final in Spain two months ago and now faced reigning champions New Zealand for a second gold medal.
“I think we worked really hard for it and we came so close,” Levi told Eurosport after Canada’s defeat.
‘We didn’t put our best foot forward, we played with our heart and unfortunately at the end of the day we didn’t get the result we wanted.’
When congratulated on scoring another try, Levi candidly said: ‘It’s great, but at the end of the day it’s quite gutting to go home without that gold medal. If you don’t get the team result, it doesn’t really matter.’
The Australian women’s rugby sevens team missed out on a chance to win a medal at the Olympic Games
The women’s team was expected to compete for gold in Paris
However, they lost to Canada in the semi-finals and to the United States in the battle for the bronze medal.
Teammate Charlotte Caslick said: ‘We felt that extra pressure and expectation.
“Canada is a very good team, but I think we brought it on ourselves. Hopefully we can finish the tournament on a high.”
