Ellia Green could have been running a very different race on the road to Rio had it not been for some sage advice from her mum, Yolantha.
The former track sprinter once dreamt of winning gold in the 100 or 200 metres but now has her sights are set on helping Australia to the top of the podium in the sport she only started playing by chance.
“My dream was to be in the Olympic Games as a 100m sprinter but now in my mind it is as one thing only – as a rugby sevens player,” she explained. “To win it I would be achieving something for my mum, myself, my country and my family, so it would be a massive dream come true.”
Green initially got involved in sevens only because her cousin, a budding player herself, needed a lift to one of the "Pathway to Gold" trials aimed at finding new rugby talent. She was selected but her cousin wasn't, and a decision between athletics and rugby had to be made.
“My mum was a huge influence in me changing over from track and field to rugby. In my mind my life was based around running. I competed in my first Nationals at 14 years old and then I ran for Australia when I was 17. But my mum said ‘Ellia, opportunities like this don’t come around very often'.”
My inspiration
Green’s world was turned upside down when her mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, although she is now in recovery. “When I found out it was probably the hardest news I’ve ever had to hear in my life. My coach Tim Walsh allowed me to go home for her treatments and my team-mates were there for me all the way, sending me messages and supporting me the whole time.”
In November last year, Green and her team-mates posed for a calendar to raise money for cancer research and awareness.
“We had a lot of fun shooting the calendar and it’s been a massive hit so I am really happy with the way it’s gone," she said.
On the second page of the calendar, there's a quote from Green which says: "Persevere to achieve greatness and you can fight any challenge that life may throw at you. Mum, you are my inspiration, my determination, my queen."
Inspired to be the best she can be, Fijian-born Green, who moved to Australia when she was four and grew up in Sydney, has made a stunning impact in sevens since debuting in Houston in 2013, scoring 59 tries in 84 series matches.
“Training with the Australian girls for the first time was daunting, I was so, so nervous and I had all kinds of things going through my mind," she admitted. "I remember talking to my mum the night before I was leaving and saying: ‘What if I’m not good enough … what if I get there and they think that I’m just a track sprinter who doesn’t know how to play rugby’.
Run hard and straight
“Pulling on the green and gold jersey for the first time, which was in 2013 in Houston, was an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life. To be a part of a team for the first time was completely different to what I was used to in athletics. I just wanted to make a good impression as the new kid on the block and make a statement for myself."
"When I get the ball about 50 metres out, all I have in mind is just to run. I just pretend there is nobody in front of me and just run as fast as I can"
Green quickly realised that the pace which made her unstoppable on the track would easily compensate for any gaps in her rugby knowledge.
“When I get the ball about 50 metres out, all I have in mind is just to run. I just pretend there is nobody in front of me and just run as fast as I can. Sometimes I even think I am on a track running a 200-metre bend.”
Green is blessed with incredible power as well as pace and the 23-year-old’s Instagram videos of her lifting team-mates are hugely popular.
“One of my favourite parts of training in general is definitely gym work. Since I was 14, I’ve been obsessed with doing push-ups, sit-ups … whatever.”
If ever Green thinks she is incapable of raising the bar any higher though, her thoughts turn to her mum.
“Whenever I'm playing she's always at the back of my mind – I always think about how strong she has been. She has been the biggest influence on my sporting career without a doubt.”
Having missed out on the last two rounds in Atlanta and Langford through injury, Green will be determined to finish the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series on a high in Clermont-Ferrand on 28-29 May and help Australia secure a first ever series crown ... then the next stop is Rio de Janeiro.
