Kinesiology major reflects on making history with Team USA’s rugby team

San Diego State University kinesiology major Kayla Canett and Team USA Women’s Rugby Sevens made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, securing the team’s first-ever Olympic medal in women’s rugby with a dramatic victory over 2016 gold medalist Australia.

In the final seconds of the match, with Team USA trailing 12-7, Canett’s teammate Alex Sedrick broke through two Australian defenders and sprinted 94 yards to score the game-tying try. Sedrick's successful conversion lifted the U.S. to a 14-12 win, securing the bronze medal. The last U.S. rugby medal was a gold by the men's team at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Over the course of the Olympics, Canett scored six points in Team USA's 36-7 victory against Japan and two points in her team's 31-14 loss to host country France during Pool C play, and two points in USA's Quarterfinals 17-7 win over Great Britain. In the bronze medal match, Canett logged 11 minutes on the pitch playing alongside fellow starting backs Ilona Maher, Naya Tapper and Alena Olsen.

Reflecting on this year’s thrilling win, Canett said, “It was one of the most intense matches of my career. To come out on top and make history for our team and for U.S. rugby is an unforgettable experience.”

Canett’s journey to the Olympics began in her hometown of Fallbrook, California. As a kid, she played on an otherwise all-boys Pop Warner team, and later, as a teen, she played on her school’s soccer and basketball teams. At age 14, her PE teacher introduced her to rugby. 

“I’ve been playing rugby non-stop since I was 14,” Canett said. “I went to practice one day and never looked back.” 

After winning multiple national and international championships, Cannet earned a spot on the U.S. Women’s Sevens Rugby World Cup team. She kept winning all the way to her first Olympics in Tokyo, where the U.S. team placed sixth. 

“It was the pandemic. We were restricted to the Olympic village, and there weren’t any spectators, it felt kind of like a glorified scrimmage,” she said. “But in Paris, with 66,000 fans cheering us on, it was life-changing and electrifying.” 

After attending Penn State, she transferred to SDSU to pursue a physical therapy education while training at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center ahead of the 2024 Games. Canett is on track to graduate in spring 2025.

After graduation, Cannet plans to play for a professional international rugby team and hopes to compete for a third time in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

The win in Paris solidifies Team USA’s growing prominence in rugby, a sport that has gained momentum since being reintroduced to the Olympics in 2016. 

For Canett, the bronze medal is a win for her country. 

“We did this for the future of U.S. rugby,” she said. “I hope this is the first of many medals for the USA in rugby.”