Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Women’S Session 1 Stats
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OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020: WOMEN’S SESSION 1 STATS GENERAL STATISTICS Fiji’s Viniana Riwai scored the first women’s try of Tokyo 2020, touching down after two minutes and 50 seconds against France. A total of 32 tries and 202 points were scored in the first session of Tokyo 2020. This is slightly down on the 37 tries and 232 points scored in the first six matches of Rio 2016. The average winning margin was also down from Rio, at +21 points compared to +33. Australia scored the most points (48) and tries (eight) of the opening session in their 48-0 defeat of hosts Japan. Australia Emma Tonegato scored the first hat-trick of the women’s competition at Tokyo 2020. There was only one in the men’s competition, scored by Canada’s Connor Braid against hosts Japan as well. Seven players scored at least two tries in the opening session – Keyara Wardley (Canada), Kristi Kirshe (USA), Emma Tonegato, Demi Hayes, Maddison Levi (all Australia), Abbie Brown (Great Britain) and Michaela Blyde (New Zealand) Tonegato’s 15 points make her the top point-scorer in the opening session by two points from Canada captain Ghislaine Landry. Great Britain and New Zealand are the only teams with a perfect record of four wins from four in pool matches. Australia and USA are also both unbeaten, having won three and drawn 12-12 in their pool decider in Rio. Page 2 of 5 MATCH 1 – FRANCE 12-5 FIJI – POOL B Fiji’s Viniana Riwai scored the first try of the Tokyo 2020 women’s competition after two minutes 50 seconds. The opening try of Rio 2016, scored by France’s Camille Grassineau, came after just 14 seconds in their 24-7 defeat of Spain. France captain Fanny Horta received the first yellow card of the tournament before Fiji’s try, but atoned with a try to give her side a 7-5 half- time lead. Séraphine Okemba scored France’s second try. She was top try-scorer in the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco, crossing for 10 tries as France became the final qualifier for Tokyo 2020 in June. MATCH 2 – CANADA 33-0 BRAZIL – POOL B Three of Canada’s bronze medallists at Rio 2016 were on the scoreboard with Charity Williams, Karen Paquin and captain Ghislaine Landry all doting down. Canada’s Keyara Wardley – a bronze medallist at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 – scored the first brace of Tokyo 2020 to become the fourth Canadian woman to grab a double on the Olympic stage after Landry (twice), Paquin and Bianca Farella (twice). This is the third Olympic pool match in which Canada have held their opponents scoreless, having beaten Japan 45-0 and Brazil 39-0 in Rio. Their other pool match also saw a team kept scoreless, but it was them in a 22-0 loss to Great Britain. Page 3 of 5 MATCH 3 – USA 28-14 CHINA – POOL C USA’s Kristi Kirshe became the second player to score a double at Tokyo 2020 and the fourth Women’s Sevens Eagles player to do so on the Olympic stage after Kathryn Jones, Alev Kelter and JJ Javelet in Rio. Wang Wanyu scored China’s first Olympic try after two minutes and 37 seconds. They would also score the match’s final try through Chen Keyi. The USA remain unbeaten in pool matches at the Olympic Games with three wins and one draw (12-12 against Australia). MATCH 4 – AUSTRALIA 48-0 JAPAN – POOL C Australia’s top try-scorers at Rio 2016 were Charlotte Caslick and Emma Tonegato (seven) and both were on the scoreboard again. Tonegato became the second Australian player to score an Olympic hat-trick, Caslick having done so in their opening match at Rio 2016 against Colombia. She is the fourth woman to score a hat-trick with New Zealand’s Portia Woodman (two) and France’s Lina Guerin the others. Tonegato’s hat-trick temporarily drew her level with Portia Woodman as the top try-scorer in Olympic history with 10. Demi Hayes and debutant Madison Levi also grabbed doubles in the match. This wasn’t Australia’s biggest Olympic victory as they beat Colombia 53-0 in Rio. They scored a record nine tries in that win, one more than against hosts Japan. Page 4 of 5 MATCH 5 – RUSSIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE 12-14 GREAT BRITAIN – POOL A Baizat Khamidova scored the Russian Olympic Committee’s first Olympic try. She is the most experienced member of the squad and one of eight players to score 100 tries on the World Rugby Sevens Series. Great Britain co-captain Abbie Brown scored a brace of tries for the second time on the Olympic stage, having also touched down twice against Fiji in the medal quarter-final in Rio. Two points is easily Great Britain’s narrowest winning margin at the Olympic Games. Their previous was 22-0 against Canada in the pool stage. The closest margin in a match involving Great Britain previously was 18 points in their 25-7 loss to New Zealand in the medal semi-final at Rio 2016. MATCH 6 – NEW ZEALAND 29-7 KENYA – POOL A Stacey Fluhler – the leading try-scorer on the World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 with 31 – scored New Zealand’s first try of Tokyo 2020. Portia Woodman’s try was her 11th on the Olympic stage, the most by any player in the men’s or women’s competition. Her tally of 10 had been matched by Australia’s Emma Tonegato following her hat-trick against Japan. Michaela Blyde became the third New Zealand player to score a brace in an Olympic match, joining Rio silver medallists Woodman (twice) and Kayla McAlister (three times) Kenya scored their first try against New Zealand, having been beaten 52-0 in their opening Rio 2016 match. Christabel Lindo scored the try late in the first half to the great delight of her team-mates. Kenya – the lowest seeds and least experienced team in the competition – cut the losing margin from 52 points in Rio to only 22 in Tokyo. Page 5 of 5 .