One year ago, the Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens team made history, winning the first ever gold medal for the event at the Rio Olympics.
Part of that team was winger Ellia Green. She was raised by her Australian-Polish mother after being adopted in Fiji. From an early age, not only was she already involved in competitive sport as a track athlete, but was also learning the value of love and warmth in her life.
“My mum used to come and watch me on the track. She used to cheer me on,” Ellia told PEDESTRIAN.TV. “I wouldn’t be looking at where I was running. I’d just make sure that she was watching me. I didn’t really care where I was going, as long as she was in the crowd, I knew I was going to run well.”
Despite this, it was once she moved into the team atmosphere of rugby sevens that her values changed. “I guess coming from a track and field background I was always by myself, or just with my coach or my mum watching. Whereas we have each other’s families as well. It’s like we’re one giant family. We feel like we belong to that. It’s very unique.”
Green’s fellow teammates, her family, and the Rugby Union Players Association have all been pivotal to Green’s financial growth. As she says, “In the last couple of years, I’ve definitely changed from being a splurger to a saver.” However, she’s still “keeping it fresh” with a new pair of sneakers now and again.
But it’s the way Green has handled her relationship between her victory in Rio and her mother’s support that truly illustrates her values. In particular, she used her mother’s cancer diagnosis to push herself forward mentally and physically. And when she was awarded the gold medal, she didn’t hesitate to offer it to her number one fan.
“I wanted to give my mum the gold medal, actually. Because I wouldn’t have had it if it wasn’t for her. She’s been my biggest support network. So I guess, giving back to my mum. Giving her the gold medal, which she didn’t really want to have.
“But I said ‘The gold medal is just a small reward of what we’ve done’.”
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