By Miriam Celebiler (UBC Communications)
This article was originally published on July 30, 2024 from UBC Athletics and Recreation. Read the original article.
PARIS – It was a landmark day for the UBC Thunderbirds and Canadian rugby as Piper Logan and Florence Symonds helped lead Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team to a historic silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Canada’s journey to the final was nothing short of thrilling. Coming into the tournament ranked fifth, the Maple Leafs dropped only one of their pool stage games to New Zealand. They bounced back strongly, defeating the host nation, France, who had been unbeaten up until that point. The Canadian squad showed their resilience and skill once more in the semifinals, where they outplayed the powerhouse Australian team to secure their place in the gold medal game.
In the final, the Canadians delivered a valiant performance, leading the Black Ferns 12-7 at halftime. However, a series of tries from New Zealand ultimately saw them fall short of gold.
Piper Logan‘s standout performance included a massive four tries, while Florence Symonds contributed ten points throughout the tournament. Both players have significantly contributed to the Thunderbirds’ success, with UBC winning the Canada West 15s title for four consecutive years and the Sevens title twice in the past two.
With the two silver medals, UBC’s all-time Olympic medal haul rises to 63 total, dating back to when Ned Pratt earned the T-Birds first piece of hardware at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games with a bronze in men’s double rowing. Symonds and Logan will return to the Thunderbirds as Olympic medalists, marking a historic moment for the program and Canadian rugby.
Thunderbirds continue to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics until August 11. For all the latest updates on UBC’s athletes, follow @ubctbirds on Instagram and X.