U.S. women earn first rugby sevens medal on Alex Sedrick’s long try as time expired

SAINT-DENIS, France — Alex Sedrick scored a long try as time expired and then hit a bronze-clinching conversion to give the United States a miraculous 14-12 victory over Australia on Tuesday.

The result earned the U.S. women's rugby sevens team its first Olympic medal.

Maddison Levi's try with about 85 seconds remaining gave Australia a 12-7 lead that appeared to have won it for the 2016 gold medalists. It seemed insignificant at the time that Tia Hinds missed the conversion for Australia, but that turned out to be a crucial play as Sedrick broke through a crowd for her long score in the final seconds.

"One minute for the rest of her life, that's a life changing moment for all of us and for rugby in America," said overjoyed prop Kristi Kirshe, a native of Franklin, Massachusetts. "And thank God, (Sedrick) took off the way she did."

Sedrick said the team's psychologist preaches to players to remain focused at all times and even accept self-doubt.

“So it’s OK to be nervous, it’s OK to be scared, it’s OK to doubt yourself," Sedrick said. "But as long as the next action you take is toward your goal, it’s going work out."

The team's regular kicker wasn't on the field when Sedrick scored, so the 26-year-old from Salt Lake City stepped up for the not-so-routine kick that she put through the uprights.

The Americans had a tall hill to climb to capture a medal coming into Tuesday, first facing and losing to defending champion New Zealand. A victory over Australia, beaten by silver medalist Canada in the other semifinal match, seemed an unlikely task.

Hinds and center Alev Kelter, a native of Eagle River, Arkansas, each scored tries for their teams and they were tied 7-7 at intermission.

"We're starting to build a culture, building people that we want to be, leaving a legacy and building a brand of rugby in America that we keep proud of," said wing Stephanie Rovetti, a 32-year-old Reno native.

Rovetti was behind the play and could see Levi chasing Sedrick, known as "Spiff" to her teammates, as she raced nearly the length of the Stade de France field to bring home bronze.

"You have Maddie Levi, the fastest player in the series who's notorious for catching tries like that," Rovetti said. "But 'Spiff' is such a great player and I knew that she was through and she could beat anybody."