Australia’s Charni Smale has announced via social media that she is retiring from international rugby sevens on the biggest stage in Paris. The 2016 Olympic gold medallist will hang up her rugby sevens boots after the upcoming Olympics.
Small will be looking to come out on top as a winner, but the 36-year-old’s impact will forever be a game-changer, regardless of the outcome. The Australian is a true pioneer in the women’s game and a role model for the LGBTQI+ community.
Smail first came to international rugby’s attention as a Wallaroo player in a test match against New Zealand in 2008, but played at the Women’s Rugby World Cup two years later before switching to sevens.
With Small at the helm, Australia won their first World Series (now the SVNS Series) title in 2015/16 and went on to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Small was co-captain alongside fellow great Shannon Parry at the time.
Small is also a 2022 Rugby Sevens World Cup winner and a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist. Australia won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Small’s achievements on the Sevens stage are legendary, but all good things must come to an end and Australia’s glittering Sevens career will end in front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de France from July 28-30.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Small wrote on social media.
“I have enjoyed 12 years playing the game I love with amazing people, but my time with Aussie 7’s will end after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s hard to put into words what this game and the people who have joined me on this journey mean to me, but I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and humility.
“Rugby gave me a sense of belonging, made me feel safe to express who I am and that it was okay for others to do the same.
“I will take with me friendships that will last a lifetime, and memories of the wonderful joys and sorrows we shared together.
“I’m honored to have helped grow the game into what it is today, and I will always be there as its biggest champion.
“There’s one more thing to do before that.”
Small is the second Australian female star to announce retirement recently, with Dominique Du Toit also set to hang up her boots. It is a huge loss for the gold-medal-winning women’s athlete, who has played a leading role in her recent success.
Across the ditch, New Zealand’s Tyla King and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe made similar announcements. The Paris Olympics are an opportunity to celebrate the stars who made the sport and rugby sevens what it is today.
“Yeah, I got a little emotional when you said that. He’s one of my best friends,” New Zealand women’s captain Sarah Hirini said. rugby pass last month When asked about Woodman-Wycliffe’s retirement,
“Knowing that it’s going to be her last, honestly, whenever she talks about it, I just go, ‘Boo!’ I don’t want that to happen.
“But she’s someone who can never be cloned again. She’s probably a once-in-a-generation player.
“I remember going back to 2012 and seeing her come from a netball camp to ours and just grow up. She was just a weirdo and she grew out of it. She played rugby like no one else ever did.
“The hardest thing about her is that she’s fast, but she’s so strong. Even in training, no one wants to defend her because she’ll trip you up or turn you around.
“(She) has done it all, tried it all, and I think she is an absolute legend in our sport.”
