Olympics 2024: How rugby sevens star Teagan Levi used devastating impact of disgusting prank call for good

Teagan Levi remembers looking down at her phone and seeing a call with no name or ID. Nothing could prepare the rugby sevens star for the devastating impact of the next 30 seconds.

Paris Olympian Teagan Levi remembers looking down at her phone and seeing a call with no name or ID.

Nothing could prepare the rugby sevens star for the devastating impact of the next 30 seconds.

“I was in the car one day, about two years ago and I got this call,’’ Levi, 20, said.

“Down the line they said; ‘You’re fat, ugly, no good at sport and you should go kill yourself.’’ Levi couldn’t speak.

“As soon as that call ended, I was mortified,’’ Levi said.

Levi is among Australia’s rugby sevens stars who will play a key role in success at the Paris Olympics. Picture: Getty Images

Still in high school on the Gold Coast at the time, she immediately phoned her parents and older sister and Olympic Sevens teammate, Maddison.

“I was in so much shock that when I spoke to my family about it, they said, don’t worry, the person who did it won’t be able to keep their mouth shut,’’ Levi said.

“And one of my best friends at the time, he went to the same school as the person, and she went around gloating to the school that she had called me, and although she didn’t say she had said all those nasty things, she went around saying, ‘oh, I prank called Teagan’.

“Still to this day, she hasn’t apologised. Her sister has on behalf of her. It blew me away that someone could have a personality to be able to do that to somebody and be able to say those hurtful words.

“I was just lucky that I had such a supportive system around me.’’

Teagan Levi and Maddison Levi, who will play for the Australian Rugby Sevens team in Paris, are ambassadors for Dolly’s Dream Australia. Picture: Richard Dobson

Although shocking, the phone call to Teagan has had the complete opposite impact on her than the sinister nature of which it was intended.

In a bid to help other recipients of bullying, especially young teenage girls, Teagan and Maddison have become ambassadors for Dolly’s Dream Australia.

Dolly’s Dream was created by Kate and Tick Everett following the shattering loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to suicide, after ongoing bullying in 2018.

“Having been through that, you never know the next person to receive some disgusting phone call, could actually be the one to end their life,’’ she said.

Teagan Levi doing what she does best for Australia - scoring tries. Picture: Getty Images

Maddison, 22, added: “It really triggered us when Teegs got a phone call to kill herself in high school.

“It shook us. For anyone else that doesn’t have that support network like Teagan had, which she was lucky to have me, Mum and Dad, there is so much support out there.

“Don’t be afraid to voice up. We say at Dolly’s Dream to speak, even if your voice shakes.

“If you speak-up, you never know if someone else is going through something similar.

“Just know that you aren’t alone and there are so many people that love you and would love to get to know you.

“Call a friend, call a support line, because there will be people backing you always.’’

Of course, the Levi sisters are aiming to have just as great an impact on the field in Paris.

The Aussie women’s Sevens commence their pool rounds with a clash against South Africa at midnight on July 29.

Maddison is a try-scoring sensation with the Queenslander creating records in the SVNS world series to help Australia return to the peak of the game.

She finished this season with an incredible 69 tries.

Originally published as Olympics 2024: How rugby sevens star Teagan Levi used devastating impact of disgusting prank call for good