An Olympic medal is won by the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team, marking a first.

In Women’s rugby sevens, the U.S. women are winning their nation’s first medal.

The United States overcame Australia 14–12 in a thrilling final to take home the bronze medal ahead of the 2016 gold medallists. In the closing seconds, Alex Sedrick’s try and game-winning conversion on the last play placed the United States ahead.

Sedrick’s goal put the team’s kicker off the field, and she took over for the kick that won the U.S. the bronze.

Following the victory, the American players at the Stade de France put on an impassioned show. Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” erupted loudly in the stadium as they raced onto the field. Ilona Maher triumphantly raised both hands above her head on the field.

“Our goal was to demonstrate the potential of rugby in the United States,” Maher stated following the medal presentation. “We frequently remark that we want to pass the jersey in rugby. The jersey you’re going through belongs to the next person; it’s not yours.Today, in my opinion, significantly improved the jersey so that future generations of young girls can aspire to play rugby, become pros, and have a life similar to ours, which involves traveling the globe and competing in the Olympics.

The U.S. squad fell to New Zealand, the reigning Olympic champions, 24–12, in the semifinal earlier in the day. That arranged for Canada and New Zealand to compete for the gold medal. In the end, Canada won silver and New Zealand won gold.

The USA women’s rugby team loses to New Zealand in the semifinals.

In the Olympic women’s rugby semifinals in Paris, New Zealand proved to be too strong for Team USA.

In Tuesday’s match at the Stade de France, the reigning gold medalists triumphed 24–12 over the United States.

A score by American Alev Kelter opened the scoring in the first few minutes, but a try and conversion by New Zealand a few minutes later put them ahead.

Like most of the Olympic competition, the second half is the Black Ferns’. With three minutes remaining, New Zealand led 19-5 thanks to tries from Michaela Blyde and Stacey Waaka in the first minute of the second half.

In Paris, New Zealand has dominated handily. Before giving up more than seven points in a single game in Tuesday’s final play of the semifinal, it had won each of its first four games by a margin of at least 26 points.

At 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, the United States will take on the loser of the semifinal between Canada and Australia for the bronze medal.

In women’s rugby at the Paris Olympics, Team USA wins its first medal after defeating Australia.

In the bronze-medal match on Tuesday, Alex Sedrick sprinted nearly the whole length of the field to deliver the U.S. women a first Olympic rugby sevens medal with a spectacular comeback victory over Australia.

Deep in U.S. territory, the 2016 champion Australians were ahead 12-7 with seconds to go. Sedrick received the ball, and she deflected two tackles before sprinting to the other end to score, setting off an American celebration.

For the first time, American women advanced to the Olympic semifinals, where they were defeated by reigning champion New Zealand. For the third time, it became a matter of taking home a medal or failing to qualify for the finals.

After winning 14–12, the Americans hurried onto the field to celebrate. It was Sammy Sullivan, crying. Ilona Maher triumphantly raised both arms. Olympic athlete Maher has gained notoriety both on and off the field. With 1.8 million TikTok followers, she is well-known for her muscular physique, broad shoulders, and active social media presence. She has also tried to draw in a new generation of rugby enthusiasts.

“Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen blasted through the stadium speakers.

The American women were not allowed to step upon the podium until after the New Zealand vs. Canada final.

After Team USA’s incredible upset victory over Australia, Maher may attract the hordes of fans the sport has been longing for.

Now, they’re hanging out and making the best memories.” I’m honored, and all I want to do is continuing introducing rugby to Americans.”