Alysha Corrigan Targets Gold After Two Very Different Rugby Silver Medals
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Canadian rugby star Alysha Corrigan has experienced two silver-medal finishes with very different emotions, but both have strengthened her determination to chase gold at the next Olympic Games.
Corrigan helped Canada win silver in rugby sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympics, before experiencing another second-place finish with Canada’s 15-a-side team at the 2025 Rugby World Cup. She now has her sights set on future success, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Paris 2024 Silver Was a Proud Achievement
Canada exceeded expectations during the Paris Olympic rugby sevens tournament, defeating Fiji, hosts France and former champions Australia on the way to the final.
The Canadians eventually lost to New Zealand by seven points, but Corrigan and her teammates celebrated a silver medal that represented significant progress for the programme.
Corrigan said the team entered the tournament as underdogs and took considerable pride in rebuilding Canada’s rugby sevens programme and reaching the Olympic final.
Rugby World Cup Defeat Felt Very Different
Corrigan later switched to the 15-a-side game with Canada, joining teammates with the ambition of winning the country’s first Rugby World Cup title.
Canada reached the final against hosts England in 2025, but the team finished with another silver medal.
Unlike the Olympic result, however, the World Cup defeat was much harder for Corrigan to accept because the Canadian side had entered the tournament with strong expectations.
She explained that reaching the final had been a long-term objective, but the disappointment came from feeling that the team had not produced its best performance when it mattered most.
Balancing Rugby Sevens and 15s
Corrigan is a dual-format international player, meaning she competes in both rugby sevens and the traditional 15-player version of the sport.
Following the 2025 World Cup, she returned to England to play for Saracens in Premiership Women’s Rugby. With Canada having no major international tournament in 2026, she has been able to concentrate more on her club career and enjoy regular competition away from the international spotlight.
However, moving between the two formats requires significant physical and technical preparation.
Corrigan said rugby sevens places particularly high physical demands on players, while her club’s strength and conditioning staff help her maintain the fitness needed for international sevens competitions.
Preparing for Future International Challenges
Playing 80-minute matches in the 15-a-side game while also preparing for the speed and intensity of rugby sevens requires careful training.
Corrigan and her Canadian teammates have spent only a few seasons developing the skills and conditioning needed to move between the two formats.
Her experience with Saracens is therefore an important part of maintaining that balance while continuing to compete at the international level.
Looking Ahead to LA28
The contrasting experiences of Paris and the Rugby World Cup have given Corrigan different lessons from two silver medals.
The Olympic medal remains a source of pride because of Canada’s unexpected run to the final, while the World Cup result has provided additional motivation for improvement.
With the LA28 Olympics approaching, Corrigan’s focus is now on turning those experiences into further progress and pursuing another opportunity to compete for the top prize in rugby sevens.
