Alex Sedrick ran most of the length of the field to give the U.S. women a first Olympic rugby sevens medal with a stunning stoppage-time comeback win over Australia in the bronze-medal match on Tuesday.
The 2016 champion Australians were leading 12-7 with seconds remaining and deep in U.S. territory. The ball went to Sedrick and she bumped off two tacklers before racing to the other end to score and spark jubilation for the Americans.
The U.S. women reached the Olympic semifinals for the first time and lost to defending champion New Zealand. That made the playoff for a third a case of winning a medal or going home without.
The Americans rushed onto the field to celebrate the 14-12 victory. Sammy Sullivan was in tears. Ilona Maher raised both arms up in triumph. Olympian Maher has become a sensation on and off the field. Known for her broad shoulders and powerful physique, and her active social media presence — with 1.8 million followers on TikTok — she has worked to attract a new generation of fans to rugby.
Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." blared over the stadium speakers.
The U.S. women had to wait until after the final between New Zealand and Canada to take their place on the podium.
Team USA's stunning upset over Australia did not disappoint and Maher might get the legion of fans the sport is hoping for.
"I know that these girls' lives are being changed by it as well because they heard about rugby on a girl from TikTok," she told "CBS Mornings." "So they decided to try out this club program and then they met their best friends there and now they're, you know, playing around, having the best memories. So, um, I'm honored and I just hope to keep exposing America to rugby."
