The United States had never won a medal in rugby sevens in Olympic competition, and their matchup with Australia in the bronze medal match ended in completely stunning fashion.
Trailing 12-7 with mere seconds left on the clock and pinned in their own territory, the American squad tried everything they could to advance the ball up the field, and it was Alexandria Sedrick who played the role of hero, breaking a tackle and sprinting all the way across the line for the game-tying try with no time left on the clock.
Sedrick then converted the goal to give the United States a 14-12 win and their first-ever bronze medal in the sport.
Earlier Tuesday, the US had dropped their semifinal match to New Zealand, but their bronze medal hopes stayed alive as they played to a 7-7 tie in the first half of the bronze medal match.
The two teams played a tense back-and-forth matchup, but Australia appeared to grab the upper hand late in the game when Maddison Levi punched in a try to give the Aussies a 12-7 lead. Tia Hinds missed the goal conversion however, and Australia booted the ball deep to try to pin the Americans near the end line with mere seconds to go.
The United States was somehow able to find a small seam, and when Sedrick broke a tackle she burst down the field for the winning tally to give the Americans their first-ever medal.
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The final game of rugby sevens will take place Tuesday, with Canada and New Zealand battling for the gold medal.
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