‘Dream come true’: Super Aussie Sevens sisters Maddison and Teagan Levi eye Paris gold
Madi and Teagan Levi have established themselves as among the best Sevens players in the world, but an Olympic gold medal looms as ‘dream’ result for the Gold Coast sisters.
As double acts go, no Australian team can match the explosive talent and sheer excitement that the multi-talented Levi sisters have brought to the women’s sevens rugby squad.
Chased by three different football codes, the super siblings Maddison and Teagan Levi have gone all in on trying to help Australia win gold at this year’s Paris Olympics.
So far, things are going great. Since breaking into the team, the Levis have established themselves as one of the most lethal combinations in the global game, helping the Aussies win gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Rugby Sevens World Cup the same year.
“The ability to be able to train full time and represent your country all over the world is just something you would never be able to substitute in any other sport,” Maddison said.
“The fact that I get to travel the world and put on the Australian jersey week in, week out, is pretty special for me and because no other code offered that so it was a no-brainer in the end.
“It’s a dream come true to have one family member representing Australia so to have two do it together, that would be a pretty special moment for us.
“We’re both our harshest critics, but we’re also both there to drive each other and make each other better and it shows on and off the field.”
After turning down lucrative offers to stick with the AFLW or join NRLW, Maddison made her Olympic debut for Australia at Tokyo in 2021 when she was just 19.
The defending champions after winning the inaugural women’s title at Rio in 2016, the Aussies didn’t win a medal in Japan but the disappointment from that experience has spurred them on to greater things.
“Suffering a loss like that at an Olympic Games has been a massive driver,” Maddison said. “We don’t want to go out and repeat the same thing. So we’re putting in both on and off the field.”
Like her 16-month older sister, Teagan was also targeted by rival codes but opted for rugby sevens, making her debut in 2022 when she was also still in her teens.
As full-time members of the squad, they now travel the world and play at exotic destinations in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
“I say all the time, ‘you’ve got to do something that you love’ so we’re pretty lucky to be paid to do something that we love and get to so many different countries a year,” Teagan said.
“And best of all, I get to do it with my best friend at my side.”
Managed by former dual international Mat Rogers, the Levis have quickly become major players on the global sevens circuit.
Maddison, in particular, has been turning heads with her incredible feats, scoring 137 tries in 105 appearances, earning her a nomination as a finalist in the world player of the year award.
Originally from Sydney, but now based on Queensland’s Gold Coast, their biggest fans are their parents -Flevi mum Richelle, who played netball, and dad Jason, who played rugby league for Manly in the 1990s.
“Mum and dad are there for us through thick and thin. They’ve been with us since the start and I guess they ride the highs and the lows with us,” Teagan said.
“We don’t really talk too much footy when we go home because we don’t like to talk too much footy when we go home.
“But whenever we need them to be straight up with us, they will be.”
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