Team USA announces Women’s Olympic Rugby Sevens team for Paris 2024
USA Rugby announced their 2024 U.S. Women’s Olympic Rugby Sevens team for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Monday 17 June. 12 starting athletes, as well as two traveling alternates will head to Paris in less than one month, as they attempt to take rugby sevens hardware back to the U.S. for the first time ever.
The team is built up of an even mix of Olympic veterans and newcomers, with Alev Kelter and Lauren Doyle gearing up for their third Games with Tokyo 2020 one-time Olympians Kayla Canett, Kristi Kirshe, Ilona Maher, Ariana Ramsey and Naya Tapper**.** The newcomers include Alena Olsen, Spiff Sedrick, Sammy Sullivan, Sarah Levy and Steph Rovetti, while Tokyo 2020 Olympians Kris Thomas and Nicole Heavirland will travel with the team as alternates.
Emilie Bydwell is slated as head coach going into the Games, while captains Doyle and Tapper will be the players at the helm of the United States’ third women’s rugby sevens teams as they attempt to best their respective fifth-place and sixth-place finishes in Rio 2016 and Tokyo.
Bydwell is excited about this team, she told USA Rugby, saying “We have an excellent blend of speed, power, work ethic, skill, and creativity that we know will ignite our brand of rugby. The players complement each other extremely well, enabling individuals to express their strengths and simultaneously bring out the superpowers of those around them and the team.
Naya Tapper of the USA makes a break during the womens pool match between Russia and USA in the 2017 HSBC Sydney Sevens at Allianz Stadium.
USA Women's rugby: our goal is to leave a legacy
“As we approach the final stages of preparation, our focus is on refining every aspect of our game. We are particularly emphasizing mental flexibility and resilience, knowing these qualities will be critical in Paris. Our goal is not just to compete, but to move the jersey forward, leaving a legacy for those to follow and to deliver a performance that inspires American fans,” she added.
According to Maher, having Tapper as a captain also adds a whole layer of advantage to the U.S. women’s team.
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com in March of 2024, she said “It's all the teams I've played on, with such amazing girls who are shaping the athlete I am today. Once you meet Naya Tapper, who's given me so much confidence because she has so much confidence. It's almost like a trickle-down. It's like a pyramid scheme of confidence where it starts with her. And then it's trickled to me and I've trickled it to everybody else."
Exactly 100 years ago, at the Olympic Games Paris 1924, Team USA’s men took the gold medal in rugby 15s. That was the last time the Games would ever see 15s, and it wasn’t until Rio 2016 that rugby sevens - men’s and women’s - was added to the sporting roster.
As both of Team USA’s sevens teams gear up for Paris, they will be looking to bring hardware home in their sport for the first time in a century.
On 14 July, the women will leave for a pre-Olympic training camp before the Games begin on 26 July. Competition for the women kicks off on 28 July and the world will see who will be playing who on 23 June, when World Rugby announces the pools.