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PARIS – The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team can walk away from the Paris Olympics with their heads held up high.
After never finishing an Olympic rugby competition better than fifth, the U.S. women are taking home a bronze medal after a thrilling 14-12 comeback victory against Australia on Tuesday.
Down 12-7 with the bronze medal on the line and less than a minute remaining, Alex Sedrick found an opening and sprinted down the field for a game-tying try. She hit the ensuing game-winning conversion to put icing on the cake and give the Team USA women their first medal in Olympic rugby sevens competition.
“It was crazy because I was like no way this is happening,” Ilona Maher said. “(Alex Sedrick’s) been an MVP for me this whole season.”
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In the first half, Australia got on the board first when Maddison Levi scored a try with a conversion to follow. The U.S. women tied the score 7-7 at the end of the half when Alev Kelter got a try and conversion.
The second half was an offensive struggle until Levi scored what many thought would be the game-winning try, but the U.S. women had a bronze-medal winning answer.
“It takes a lot to get here,” U.S. rugby player Ariana Ramsey said. “We were channeling some frustration from Tokyo (the 2021 Olympics). I knew I didn’t want to feel like that again.”
The U.S. squad lost to New Zealand in the semifinal to set up their bronze medal match. The semifinal against eventual back-to-back gold medal champion New Zealand was ultimately a measuring stick to find out where the rugby sevens club stacks up against the world’s best.
“They are a fantastic team. We know that,” U.S. women’s rugby captain Naya Tapper said of New Zealand. “We are always grateful to be able to go up against a team like that because it only makes us better.”
It turns out the U.S. women are among the best.
The U.S. rugby team has seen growth in international competition and an uptick in exposure. Spectators chanted “USA” during their quarterfinal win against Great Britain and Tuesday’s matches were in front of a packed house at Stade de France.
Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce caught the U.S. women’s rugby team in action in Paris. Even Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry even took notice of the squad and Maher, thousands of miles away in Maryland.
The bronze medal will add exposure for the women’s rugby program in advance of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
‘We did a lot for our program just now,’ Ramsey said. ‘We are gonna bring out so many more fans now that we are actually winning. People are gonna want to see what rugby is about and learn more about our game.’
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