Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens stars Ellia Green and Evania Pelite have committed to defending gold at the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympic Games with both athletes agreeing to extend their deals Rugby Australia.
Pelite and Green join Chloe Dalton, Shannon Parry and skipper Sharni Williams in having confirmed they will be striving for Australia’s Gold Medal defence next year.
Both players are founding members of the Australian Women’s Sevens team, with Green famously selected from athletics by then-head coach Tim Walsh, for an ambitious attempt at building a new professional Women’s Rugby program.
Green made her debut in Houston in 2013 and has since earned 30 caps with Pelite making her debut for Australia later that season in Amsterdam and has amassed 26 Sevens World Series appearances.
Pelite and Green featured prominently in Australia’s Gold Medal win over New Zealand in 2016, with both players crossing the try line in the 24-17 victory.
Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens Head Coach John Manenti said: “These two women are amazing individual athletes and are very focused on doing what is best for the group and the jersey.
“I have not been at all surprised to see how they have performed in NRLW and they have continued to set the standard in that competition. It is a testament to the quality of our program in producing world class elite footballers.
“Ellia and Evania have been a credit to Australian Rugby every time they have run out on the Sevens circuit and have been fantastic leaders for this team over the last few months.
“To lock them in continues to ensure that our plans for next year are shaping well, with the squad not taking a backwards step in our preparation this year.”
Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens Player, Ellia Green said: “I am really excited to be signing on for another year with Rugby Australia.
“This team is my family and we have worked really hard together in an incredibly challenging year across the whole squad.
“I am excited about the next 12 months and looking forward to putting my head down as we work towards Tokyo.”
Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens player, Evania Pelite said: “Defending our Olympic Gold medal has been this team’s goal since Rio in 2016 and we have continued to work hard for that.
“This year even with tournaments suspended, I’ve been really proud about how we rallied together.
“The next year will have its challenges but nothing worth achieving is supposed to be easy, and I am looking forward to it.”
