PARIS, France — The U.S. women's rugby team beat Australia on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, winning their first medal ever.
Alex Sedrick ran the length of the field, dived in under the posts and then calmly took the conversion, securing a rugby sevens bronze medal for the United States with a 14-12 last-minute upset.
The American women had lost to defending champion New Zealand in the semis — their first experience at that level — but overcame a 12-7 deficit against the 2016 champion Australians with just seconds on the clock.
Team USA's Sammy Sullivan, a star Colorado rugby player for Glendale's Colorado Gray Wolves, was in tears while teammate Ilona Maher raised her arms up in triumph.
"To make history with my favorite people on the planet, my teammates, right now it's just unbelievable," Sullivan said.
"All that was running through my mind was 'Oh my gosh, we're going to win,' because I back Spiff everyday of the week to make that run," said Sullivan, of Sedrick's run down the field for the victory. "She's so fast, she's explosive off the line. As soon as I saw her break from the line I was like 'wow, we're going to score.'"
"When she took a long time celebrating before kicking the conversion, I was like 'Are we going to win? Are we going to win?' She clutched it out with four seconds left on the clock and just did her thing. Very proud of her for that."
After Tuesday's bronze-medal win, USA Rugby announced Michelle Kang — owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs — will gift $4 million over the course of four years to the U.S. women's rugby sevens team.
USA Rugby said the donation will help "grow the sport and provide improved resources to its players and coaching staff in anticipation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles."
"It was incredible, Michelle Kang donating $1 million a year with really the goal being to up this medal to a gold in 2028," Sullivan said. "I think what this does is show those 8-year-olds in Glendale practicing touch rugby, you have the opportunity, you have the chance to be a medalist some day.
"Even our older youth programs in Colorado, you can be my teammate going into 2028. I just think it's a huge 'let's get more people into rugby.'"
Sullivan started playing rugby at West Point and holds the rank of Army Captain. She's originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"When I joined the military, I never thought I would be joining the military and becoming an Olympian at the same time," she said. "I always had a call to serve. So when they put this around my neck, I just though of all the Army women that I was representing. We're a strong group of individuals, and I just hope that I'm making all of them proud right now."
Sullivan said she has been saving a spot for an Olympic tattoo.
"I've been keeping this spot on my arm open for the rings, definitely getting the rings there, probably an eagle, probably a bronze, the Eiffel Tower somewhere, probably just a whole sleeve of Olympic things happening," Sullivan said.
While in France for the Summer Games, Sullivan has met first lady Jill Biden and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie.
Sullivan said she did not attend last week's Olympics opening ceremony down the River Seine because women's rugby played shortly afterward. Instead of cruising down the river with her fellow athletes, she built Legos.
Sullivan's latest Lego project featured iconic Paris sites including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. In a social media post, she proudly showed off what appeared to be her entire collection of Lego projects.
