Olympics: Sam Farnsworth talks with U.S. rugby bronze medal-winning team
Aug 1, 2024, 1:43 AM | Updated: 2:21 am
United States' Alex Sedrick, who prepped at Herriman High, scores the winning try during the women's bronze medal Rugby Sevens match between the United States and Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, France, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. The US won the match 14-12. (Vadim Ghirda, Associated Press)
(Vadim Ghirda, Associated Press)
PARIS — Sam Fansworth spoke with the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team after it won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a finish that was dramatic enough to become the stuff of legend when Utahn Alex “Spiff” Sedrick turned the tide in the closing moments against the powerhouse Australian team, that had just taken a 12-7 lead with less than 90 seconds to play.
THE MOST CLUTCH TRY IN @USARugby HISTORY 😱
Spiff Sedrick wins it for Team USA in the final seconds!#ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/lml8fLVmsn
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
Sedrick famously ducked a tackle from a pair of defenders and then raced the length of the field with the clock ticking down to tie, and then win the game with a converting kick. It’s the first U.S. medal in Rugby since the men’s team won gold in 1924.
Farnsworth started the interview by asking about what he called “the play.”
He asked each of the four players in the interview where they were and what they felt as they watched the winning play unfold.
“I was just thinking ‘Who else but Spiff Sedrick?’ ” Sammy Sullivan said. “She is just such a hard working person and someone who doesn’t always believe in themselves so; it’s the thing you see in movies.”
“I think for me it was just the mentality of ‘You gotta go, you gotta go,’ ” Naya Tapper said. “And she did exactly that so I am very proud of her.”
What does it mean for the team to come out of the games making history?
“We’re really, really happy to come out with a medal,” Sedrick said. She prepped at Herriman High. “It was really important for our program … I think that it got a lot of eyes on us, as a team, which we need, because it also brings in money.”
Good morning! Today begins with my own personal Eiffel Tower light show.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/1l6NkNhZIP
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) August 1, 2024
Sedrick said the team received a $4 million donation after the attention-grabbing finish. Farnsworth said the game and that play might have been the first exposure to the sport for a lot of Americans.
Ilona Maher hopes it attracts more attention.
“I think what we always say if you just watch the game … and understanding how exciting and fun it is, it doesn’t matter what sport you play. Rugby sevens is fun to watch,” Maher said.
