England full-back Ellie Kildunne feels “something special” could unfold for Great Britain women’s rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics.
The Harlequins player, voted player of the tournament when England’s 15s sealed a third straight Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year, is included in Team GB’s 12-strong squad.
Ciaran Beattie’s side face Ireland on July 28 in their opening pool match at the Stade de France and Kildunne’s sights are fixed on a medal.
The 24-year-old told the PA news agency: “As long as we put ourselves in the best place possible, do what we know we can do and do our jobs really well, something special is going to happen.
“And I’m looking forward to that moment because I can feel it. The screws are tightening.
“Going to Paris is special anyway, but we’d be stupid not to strive for gold. We’re professional athletes, of course we’ll strive for gold.
“But as long as we put our best performance out there, and leave nothing out there, I’ll be proud of every single person on the pitch.
“Obviously I’d like to come and have an interview after with a gold medal in my teeth, but that’s what we’re striving for, our absolute best.”
Team GB, currently eighth in the world sevens rankings, lost out to Canada and Fiji respectively in the bronze-medal matches in Rio and Tokyo.
They qualified for Paris in June last year by winning gold at the European Games in Krakow, beating hosts Poland 33-0 in the final, but they lost 19-5 to France last month in the Hamburg showpiece, the last tournament before the Olympics.
Kildunne, top try-scorer in the Six Nations with nine in five matches, urged sports fans to tune into the rugby sevens during the Games.
“Once upon a time you’d have said ‘we know exactly who’s going to win’,” she said.
“But the fact we’re in a situation where you actually don’t know who’s going to win is pretty cool.
“The game’s growing, women’s sport is growing and we’re just in that golden era where we get to be a part of that.
“If you’re going to watch any of the Olympic events, watch the rugby because there’s going to be a lot of surprises and it will be so exciting.”
Kildunne, also top of the Six Nations’ statistic charts for line breaks and metres carried with the ball, has made no secret of her desire to be considered the outstanding player of her era.
“Personally I’m striving to be the best player in the world and to be part of a Team GB group that is so special and talented, I’m always going to have that incentive,” she added.
“Every team that I’m part of, whether that is Team GB, the Red Roses or Harlequins, they all just feed in little different things to my armour and I’m grateful for that.
“But without such a good team behind me I wouldn’t have the opportunity. This isn’t an individual sport. No-one is going to win an Olympic rugby sevens medal on their own.”