Charlotte Caslick will lead Australia´s world series champion squad to the Paris Olympics, where she´s aiming to win her second gold medal after taking the honors when rugby sevens made its debut at the Summer Games in 2016.
The women´s and men´s Australian squads for Paris were confirmed Wednesday, with Caslick and Sharni Smale on the women´s squad and Nick Malouf and Henry Hutchison on the men´s squad set to become three-time Olympians.
“We´ve worked really hard to get to this point where we are chasing a gold medal,” said the 29-year-old Caslick, a two-time world sevens series player of the year. “I´ve loved every moment of being able to lead these players and we´re in a good place.
“Paris is an incredible city that will bring the best out of our players. We can´t wait to get over there.”
After edging New Zealand for the first Olympic gold ever awarded in rugby sevens, the Australian women failed to make it into the medal playoffs in Tokyo.
But the women´s team enters Paris as the world series champions after edging Tokyo Olympic gold medalist New Zealand in the semifinals of the series finale last month and then beating France for the title. The women’s team has been grouped with Ireland, South Africa and Britain in the 12-team Olympic tournament from July 28-30.