Former Fergus Highland Rugby player Britt Benn can now add Olympic medalist to her list of accomplishments. She and Team Canada won the bronze medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Aug. 8.
The Canadian women’s rugby team, which Benn calls her family, went wild when the final whistle blew, signaling their 33-10 win over Great Britain.
“You’re overwhelmed with emotion and you just smile and you’re hugging and holding (your teammates), sharing that moment that we won’t forget for the rest of our lives,” she said in an interview with the Advertiser.
Benn played for the Highland Rugby club during her university career before moving to the Guelph Red Coats when it split from the club. She also played with Guelph Gryphons for a number of years. She was at the University of Ottawa before deciding to transfer to the University of Guelph.
“It probably was one of the best choices I ever made,” she said.
Adding to her medal count, Benn previously won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
But she said winning the bronze medal was a pivotal moment for women’s rugby sevens, which made its debut in Rio.
“It’s definitely a historical moment and I’m super proud to be a part of it,” she said.
“It wasn’t just this team that made it happen, it was the women before us, and it will be up to the women after us to keep developing the sport and making our nation fall in love with the sport of rugby.”
Team Canada suffered a big loss, 17-5, to Australia in the semi-finals of women’s rugby sevens in the early afternoon on Aug 8.
“That was a tough pill to swallow,” said Benn of the game.
“It’s a type of game where, if you make a mistake, any team with the skill of Australia will capitalize on those mistakes and they’ll put some points up on you, that’s exactly what happened to us.”
The Canadian team had to come together only a few hours later to battle Great Britain, a team they lost 22-0 earlier in the games.
“One of the toughest challenges about rugby sevens is that turnaround, you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you can’t feel sorry for your team, you can’t dwell on the mistakes you made, you just kind of learn from them,” she said.
Before the match, Benn and the rest of Team Canada went through a tough 35-minute practice and their pre-game rituals, including a team rally to encourage each other.
“As we’re waiting in that tunnel waiting to run out in that field, it’s like this is our moment, you know, this is all the hard work we’ve done, this is for all the sacrifices we made,” she said.
After seeing Canadian fans cheering in the crowd, Benn said it all felt surreal.
“It’s just an incredible feeling to be at the Olympic Games and be a part of the historical moment where we medaled,” she said.
“It still doesn’t feel real.”
Being on the podium was also a success for her as a woman.
“My whole life I’ve watched women in Sports stand on the podium every time the Olympics come around. I never imagined myself being there,” she said.
“To have that dream come true was very inspirational, it was my hard work and all the sacrifices I made and all the obstacles I’ve overcome, it’s finally worth it.”
Team Canada’s success was also an inspiration back on Canadian soil.
Joe Bowley, the president of the Highland Rugby club in Fergus said Team Canada’s win was fantastic, especially for the girls who play in the club. “We’ve been focusing on our girls’ program … we’re hoping it’s really going to spur younger girls to play the game,” he said.
Bowley remembers when Benn played for Highland Rugby. He said she was a great person, player and teammate.
Benn said before the Olympics she wanted to spread the love of the game to the country. These Olympic Games have done that she said.
“I said before, I can’t wait for Canada to fall in love with women’s rugby … (now) I know they already have based on all the feedback we’re getting and the attention that we’re getting right now.”
