Paris Olympics 2024: Maddison Levi scores seven tries in two games as women’s rugby sevens side start strong

A former AFLW player has scored a phenomenal seven tries in just two games to help Australia’s women’s rugby sevens side make a blistering start to their Paris campaign.

Maddison Levi, who played eight AFLW games for Gold Coast in 2021, was unstoppable as Australia started their tournament by beating South Africa 34-5 before following up with a 36-5 win over Great Britain.

Playing alongside her sister Teagan, Levi opened the Games with four tries against the Springboks and followed up with a hat-trick in the second game before being rested in the closing stages.

Speaking after the first day of competition, Teagan paid tribute to her sister, calling her the team’s “little cheat code”.

“I am lucky to have her on my side. I would hate to be against her. She is such an amazing athlete, but if the people inside her don’t do their job, then she doesn’t get the balls outside,” Teagan said.

“It is pretty special to play an Olympics, but by your sister’s side is also very special.”

Levi opted to switch codes coming out of high school but made a last-minute return to rugby ahead of the 2021 Olympics, featuring as Australia’s tournament ended in defeat to eventual bronze medalists Fiji in the quarter-final.

She came into the Games in white-hot form, having set the record for the most tries in a SVNS World Series season in the lead-in to Paris.

New Zealand’s Portia Woodman owns the record for the most tries in a single Olympics sevens tournament with 10 at the sport’s debut in Rio in 2016, where Australia won the women’s gold medal.

Having already sealed a quarter final berth, Australia will look to continue their standout form in their final pool stage game against Ireland at 8.30pm tonight, with the knockout rounds getting underway in the early hours of tomorrow morning.