The Female Athlete Project’s Post

Rugby Sevens legend Emilee Cherry [now Barton] is set to receive the highest honour by being inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame at the annual awards ceremony in Monaco on Sunday evening. A true pioneer of women’s rugby sevens, Emilee debuted for Australia in Dubai in 2012 and became the first Australian to be named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year. In total, Cherry scored 131 tries in 159 series matches, becoming only the second female to reach 100 series tries. She is a veteran of two Rugby World Cup Sevens and a Commonwealth Games silver, as well as that Olympic triumph in Rio in 2016 - winning Rugby's 7's first-ever Olympic Gold medal. Following her retirement in 2020 Emilee, became the assistant coach for the Australian Women’s Sevens before recently finishing up in that role. "I fell in love with this exhilarating sport, won an Olympic gold medal four years later and now have a life full of incredible friends and memories I will cherish. I feel very lucky to have been a part of the Aussie Women’s Sevens team for 12 years, as a player then on the coaching staff. I love the team and everything we have stood for. I feel lucky and privileged to have played my part in the fabric of Women’s Rugby Sevens and can’t wait to sit back now and watch the next generation of legends pave their own way." 3 other Aussies have been nominated for awards at the World Rugby Awards: Maddison Levi - Women's 7's player of the year Maya Stewart - Women's 15's try of the year Caitlyn Halse - Women's 15's breakthrough player of the year [via World Rugby Rugby AU] #womenssports #rugby