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Risi Pouri-Lane

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Risi Pouri-Lane
Risaleaana (Risi) Pouri-Lane speaks to media at the 2023 Hong Kong Sevens
Full nameRisealeaana Pouri-Lane
Date of birth (2000-05-28) 28 May 2000 (age 24)
Place of birthAuburn, Sydney, Australia
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight66 kg (146 lb)[1]
Rugby union career
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2018–present New Zealand 7s[2] 111
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team competition
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team competition
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Silver medal – second place 2022 Cape Town Team competition
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Birmingham Team competition

Risealeaana "Risi" Pouri-Lane (born 28 May 2000) is a New Zealand rugby sevens player. She captained the 2018 Youth Olympics squad that won gold in Buenos Aires. She also won gold medals with the Black Ferns sevens team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics.

She is the only New Zealander to have won a gold medal at both a youth and summer Olympics.[3]

Early life

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Risealeaana "Risi" Pouri-Lane was born on 28 May 2000[4] in Auburn, Sydney, Australia, to New Zealanders Lealofi and Kevin Pouri-Lane.[3] When she was three years old her family returned to New Zealand, settling in Motueka.[3]

She attended Motueka High School from where she graduated in 2017.

At the age of five she began judo and went on to win several national age group competitions. She represented New Zealand at the 2016 judo Oceania championships.[3] At the age of 10, she started playing touch rugby as a social player. She soon graduated to playing at a competitive level playing in the Motueka High School mixed touch team at the national secondary school tournament in 2016.[3] At the age of 17 she played for the New Zealand under 18 women’s team in the Trans-Tasman tournament. She also played in the school’s girls 15-a-side and sevens rugby teams, and was good enough while at high school to play for the Tasman women’s sevens in the national tournament.[3] As well as continuing with judo she also competed in athletics and netball while at high school.[3] These commitments clashed in 2015, when she had to decide between athletics, Condor sevens rugby and touch rugby national secondary school sports events, all occurring on the same weekend. She choose to attend the Condor sevens national tournament.[3]

Rugby career

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In 2017 she was selected at the age of 16 for the New Zealand sevens development squad, with whom played in Japan and Australia.[3] In early 2018 she was awarded a 12 month contract with the New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team.[5] Aged 17, she was the youngest fully-contracted player.[6]

She took time away from the senior team to captain the New Zealand sevens team which won gold at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October 2018.[3]

Upon her return from Buenos Aires she made her debut for the senior team at the 2018 Dubai tournament[7]

2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

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Just prior to departure for their pre-camp on the Sunshine Coast for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Kat Whata-Simpkins suffered a hamstring injury, which resulted first in Pouri-Lane being added to the travelling team and when it was confirmed that Whata-Simpkins would not recover in time Tenika Willison was promoted to the initial 12. Alena Saili was made a travelling reserve or 13th player with Pouri-Lane staying on as another reserve. After injuries to other players in the warm-up to the final against Australia Pouri-Lane was promoted to the playing 12, coming on in the last moments of the game to assist the team in winning the gold medal.[8][9][3]

In January 2019 she was awarded a full 12 month contract with the sevens team.[10]

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

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She was selected for the New Zealand Women's Rugby Sevens team for the Tokyo Olympics which went on to win the gold medal.[11][3] Upon her return from Tokyo she spent 14 days isolating at a managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facility before being reunited with family and released into the general population.

2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games

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She was named in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[12][13] She won a bronze medal at the event.[14][15] She later won a silver medal at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[16][17][18]

2022–23 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series

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After captain Sarah Hirini 2023 was unable to play for the rest of the 2023–24 World Rugby SVNS Series after rupturing a anterior cruciate ligament in the second game of the first tournament of the season in Dubai on 2–3 December Pouri-Lane took over the captaincy of the Black Ferns for the reminder of the season, during which she led them to winning the Sevens league title.[19] [6] However the team were only able to come third at the Grand Final in Madrid. Over the course of the competition she played 43 games, and scored 15 tries.[20]

2024 Paris Olympics

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On 20 June 2024 it was announced that she had been selected as a member of the New Zealand Women’s Rugby Sevens team for the Paris Olympics.[21] With Sarah Hirini returning from injury in make the team, it was subsequently decided that Hirini and Pouli-Lane would co-captain the team. The team won the gold medal, defeating Canada 19–12 in the final.[22]

Personal life

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Pouri-Lane is of Māori descent and affiliates to the Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāi Tahu iwi.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Beijing 2022 Olympics – News, Schedule & Videos". Eurosport. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Risi Pouri-Lane". SVNS. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Paton, Gael (19 December 2021). "Double Olympic sevens champ Risi's on the rise". Newsroom. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Rugby Sevens | Athlete Profile: Risealeaana POURI-LANE – Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". results.gc2018.com. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Blacks Ferns Sevens contracted squad named (NZ Rugby News)". Northland Rugby. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b Julian, Adam (26 January 2024). "New captain wants Black Ferns Sevens back on track for Olympics". Newsroom. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Black Ferns call up rookie Risi Pouri-Lane for Dubai Sevens". Stuff. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  8. ^ Scott, Chris (15 April 2018). "Commonwealth Games 2018: NZ win first women's rugby sevens gold". CNN. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Risaleaana Pouri-Lane". New Zealand Olympic Team. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Three teenagers named in Black Ferns Sevens squad". Radio New Zealand. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Tokyo Olympics: New Zealand sevens squads named as All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke only makes travelling reserves". NZ Herald. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Rugby Sevens teams named for Commonwealth Games". All Blacks. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Experienced New Zealand sevens squads revealed for Commonwealth Games". Stuff. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  14. ^ McConnell, Lynn (1 August 2022). "Double bronze for New Zealand Sevens sides in Birmingham". All Blacks. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  15. ^ "NZ Sevens sides bounce back to win bronze medals". 1 News. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  16. ^ Julian, Adam (12 September 2022). "New Zealand sides scoop silver in Cape Town". All Blacks. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  17. ^ "NZ Sevens come up short, losing World Cup finals in Cape Town". 1 News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  18. ^ Wilson, Sam (11 September 2022). "Recap: New Zealand's men and women beaten in Rugby World Cup Sevens finals in Cape Town". Stuff. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  19. ^ Swannell, Rikki (20 April 2024). "Risi Pouri-Lane: "It's different leading a team full of legends"". World Rugby. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Risi Pouri-Lane". SVNS. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  21. ^ Kermeen, Mat (20 June 2024). "Sevens star Sarah Hirini completes 'unbelievable' recovery for Paris Olympics". Stuff. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  22. ^ Burgess, Michael (31 July 2024). "Olympics 2024: New Zealand women's rugby sevens clinch Olympic gold in Paris". NZ Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  23. ^ Perry, James (2 December 2022). "New look Black Ferns Sevens ready for World Series opener in Dubai". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
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