New Zealand claimed a second successive ladies’s Olympic sevens gold medal following a pulsating 19-12 victory in opposition to Canada at Stade de France.
Second-half tries from Michaela Blyde and Stacey Waaka proved decisive within the gold medal match after the Black Ferns Sevens discovered themselves 12-7 down at half-time.
For Canada, the ultimate match in the end proved one step too far on the again of upset victories in opposition to France and Australia within the knockout rounds.
New Zealand took the lead within the first half as co-captain Risi Pouri-Lane dummied her approach by the Canadian defence earlier than touching down beneath the posts and changing.
Canada refused to buckle although and levelled the scores with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe within the sin-bin, as Chloe Daniels raced away to attain.
It acquired even higher for the North People earlier than the break as Alysha Corrigan snaffled an interception earlier than scoring within the left nook.
Nevertheless, Blyde crossed the whitewash inside a minute of the restart to attain her seventeenth Olympic attempt to draw stage with team-mate Woodman-Wickliffe and Australia’s Maddison Levi because the all-time high try-scorers on the Video games.
And the smiling murderer Stacey Waaka made certain of victory late on with a high quality end in the appropriate nook.
Within the bronze medal match, Alex Sedrick transformed her personal length-of-the-field breakaway attempt within the last play of the match to present USA their first ever Olympic sevens medal with a 14-12 victory in opposition to Australia.
Solely moments earlier it had seemed as if the Levi sisters had mixed to offer the match-winning second and haul Australia again onto the rostrum.
Teagan Levi took a fast faucet earlier than setting her sights on the road and offering the try-scoring help for sibling Maddison.
Nevertheless, crucially a troublesome touchline conversion was missed and that gave USA a sniff of victory, which was ruthlessly exploited by Sedrick.
The alternative broke by a deal with metres from her personal line and, with seconds on the clock remaining, pinned her ears again and made all of it the way in which to the Australian sticks.
Having touched the ball down, Sedrick composed herself earlier than including the conversion that secured the bronze medal for USA. Victory ensured that Emilie Bydwell turned the primary feminine head coach to win a sevens Olympic medal.
Earlier, France completed their residence Video games on a excessive as tries from Yolaine Yengo, Lou Noel and Chloé Pelle led them to a 21-7 victory over China within the fifth-place play-off.
Nice Britain, overwhelmed by China at the beginning of day three, recorded a second win of the match in opposition to Eire, beating the Video games debutants 28-12 to safe seventh.
Japan, in the meantime, cruised previous Brazil to win the ninth-place play-off 38-7 whereas Fiji – bronze medallists in Tokyo three years in the past – had been overwhelmed 21-15 by South Africa to complete all-time low in twelfth.
Victory was South Africa’s first at their maiden Olympics.
