The decision to try a new sport in the hopes of making the Olympic Games has paid off for Wagga’s Alicia Quirk.
Quirk made the switch to rugby sevens when the sport was added to the list for the Rio Olympic Games and four years later she has booked her place.
Quirk was named in the team for the Olympics on Thursday and will be the favourites to take out the gold medal following its first World Series win this season.
Quirk said she had mixed feelings after being told she had booked her place on the plane to Brazil.
“It is so, so exciting to be recognised as part of the 12 girls that are going to the Olympics for the first time as a team,” Quirk said.
“It is very special to be going to my first Olympics.
“It is a bit of a release as well as a lot of hard over the past three or four years.
“It is a mixed bag of emotions but I am really looking forward to what the next few weeks has in store.”
Being part of the Olympics had always been an ambition for the 24-year-old and rugby sevens has provided the perfect opportunity.
“I think every young sportsperson when they grow up they want to go to the Olympics and I am just very lucky that I get the opportunity now to be part of that,” Quirk said. “I started playing rugby when it got inducted into the Olympics, that was the reason and drive behind me switching over to rugby sevens.”
The team flies out on July 26, but Quirk will miss the opening ceremony as the sevens tournament to start on day one of the games.
For the top seeded women's team, USA, Fiji and Colombia are the teams that will stand between them and progressing through the competition, which runs from August 6-8.
Batlow’s Sharni Williams was also named in the 12-strong squad after being on the comeback trail from a series knee injury.
Williams will co-captain the team alongside Shannon Parry.
“It’s so surreal for all of us and I don’t think it will really sink in that we’re going to be Olympians,” Williams said.
“Our goal is to go to Rio and win gold and it is something we speak about every day.
“The World Series win has certainly given us the confidence to achieve that goal.”
With hockey star Tristan White ruled out through injury, Quirk is expected to be Wagga’s only representative at the Games but she will be buoyed on by plenty of locals .
“My family is coming over as well so it is going to be a great experience all round,” Quirk said. “I’ve got a fair girlfriends and their partners heading over as well so I’m going to have great support crew from the Wagga area.”
