Meg Jones (Great Britain)
Arguably the biggest name in the Team GB women’s sevens squad, the Leicester Tigers centre has been in and out of the Team GB Olympic set-up before. Jones exemplifies what it takes to excel at both the 15s and sevens versions of the sport, as she begun her Test match career in rugby union, before swapping over to sevens soon after. Jones had a baptism of fire for her first outing with the Red Roses, as she made her debut against the Black Ferns of New Zealand in 2015.
With pace to burn and an unpredictable first step, Jones was then promptly selected to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics, as she teamed up with Great Britain for the games in Brazil. Jones Returned to England 15s duties for the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and scored the Red Roses’ first try of the tournament, when she dotted down against Spain. Jones was more recently apart of the GB squad that won gold medals from the 2023 European Games in Poland, and the England team that won the 2023 & 2024 Women’s Six Nations Grand Slams, as well as 2023 WXV in New Zealand.
Jones joins the likes of Emily Scarratt and Alex Matthews in those England women’s talents to excel upon both the sevens and 15s stages, with England teammate Ellie Kildunne looking to become the next in Paris. The Harlequins wing joins up with Jones for the trip to France, after her Quins side had an underwhelming season and finished seventh in the PWR. Jones and Kildunne are adding some Red Roses spark to the Team GB talents, in the hopes of bringing Great Britain home the gold medals from Paris.
Maddison Levi (Australia)
A pivotal figure in the current best women’s sevens rugby side in the world, Maddison Levi will be looking to light up the Olympics in her customary style. A try-machine who helped the Wallaroos claim the world title from the 2023/24 HSBC SVNS series, Levi and her teammates are riding a wave of momentum to Paris, all the way from the Gold Coast of Australia. The 22-year-old certainly knows her way to the try-line, as she set a try-scoring record in an unforgettable 2022/23 season.
Levi rocked up a blistering 100 tries upon the international sevens circuit in record time, as it only took the wing 15 tour events to break the century milestone. Levi made her first appearence for Australia’s sevens set-up in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, when at just 19-years-old, she broke new ground at such an early age. Levi would go on to win the 2022 Rugby Sevens World Cup with Australia, as she scored an impressive hat-trick in the final against New Zealand. Levi would also take home a gold medal from 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosted in Birmingham, England.
Outside of rugby sevens, Maddison Levi is pursuing a career in Australian Rules Football with the Gold Coast Suns. Drafted into the AFLW straight out of finishing her studies at Bond University, Levi plays as a forward and midfielder for the Suns, and was the Gold Coast club’s leading goal kicker of 2021. However, it is evident that Levi is prioritising rugby sevens above Aussie Rules, as the flyer has been named upon the Gold Coast Suns’ inactive roster list since the 2022 season. With Levi at her very best, Australia could well be contenders for the gold medals this Summer in the French capital.