Portia takes her leave in fine style
SEVENS queen Portia Woodman-Wickliffe bowed out in the perfect manner as New Zealand retained their Olympic women's title.
Having shone in both sevens and 15s, Woodman-Wickliffe, below, called time on her career in the shorter format following the hard-fought win over Canada.
She said: “I'm so grateful for the opportunities that I have taken. The people who I have around me have been so special – my wife, my daughter, my mum, and dad. I'm just so grateful.
“To finish like that was amazing. My dream was to represent New Zealand. Then I just had to take my opportunities.
“But this ranks No.1 in my highlights reel. In this stadium, alongside my mates – amazing.”
The Black Ferns picked up an extra special fan during this tournament, as Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce developed an unlikely friendship with Michaela Blyde.
The Kiwi had gone viral on social media for her reaction to seeing the former Olympic 100m champion in the village, with Fraser-Pryce spotting it and seeking her out.
And the friendship only developed from there, with the Jamaican heading out to the Stade de France to cheer on her new pal.
“She is my new bestie,” Blyde said. “It's amazing.
“She said it was the first time she's witnessed rugby sevens, and we keep telling her to start playing. A very small bit of space and she's away.
“I didn't mean for my reaction to go viral but it's to express that Olympians are allowed to fangirl as well.
“We don't have as many Olympic gold medals as her but the fact she shows appreciation for what we do in our sport, even though there's a bunch of Olympians in the village, means there are a lot of us that are very starstruck.”
Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discovery+, the streaming home of the Olympics.
