Michaela Blyde

Michaela Blyde (born 29 December 1995) is a New Zealand professional rugby sevens player and Olympic gold medalist.[2] She was the first female player to win back-to-back World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year titles in 2017 and 2018. She was a member of the New Zealand Sevens team which won a gold medal side at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Michaela Blyde
Date of birth (1995-12-29) 29 December 1995
Place of birthNew Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
SchoolNew Plymouth Girls High School
Rugby union career
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2013–Present  New Zealand 173 apps
194 tries
970 points[1]
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Women's rugby sevens
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoTeam competition
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Gold CoastTeam competition
Bronze medal – third place2022 BirminghamTeam competition
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Gold medal – first place2018 San FranciscoTeam competition
Silver medal – second place2022 Cape TownTeam competition

Early life

Blyde was born on 29 December 1995[3] in New Plymouth to Cherry (née Sutton) and Stephen Blyde.[4] Her father, Stephen, played halfback for local club Clifton and provincial rugby for the Taranaki Colts while her mother Cherry played representative rugby for Taranaki, played for the Black Ferns in 1992 and in 2022 became the first female president of the Taranaki rugby football union.[5][4] Both parents also represented New Zealand at touch rugby.[6]

Blyde was raised up on the family's dairy farm at Lepperton, near New Plymouth in Taranaki, alongside her older brother Christopher and younger twin brothers Cole and Liam.[7][6] Blyde's secondary education was undertaken at New Plymouth Girls High School.

From 2009 to 2013 she competed in athletics in the 100 metres, 200 metres and long jump. In 2009 and 2010 she participated in the 100 and 200 metres at New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.[8]

Rugby career

When she was young her parents encouraged her and her brothers to play for their local rugby club, Clifton. "Rugby was my first sport as a five-year-old, but when I got to the age where we had to start tackling, I was a bit scared of playing with the boys" and so she switched at the age of eight to playing football.[7] She began playing it again in year 12 at high school, though football was her first priority.[9]

In 2012 the New Zealand Rugby Union organized a "Go for Gold" campaign to identify talent with the potential to represent New Zealand in the Sevens competition at the Rio Olympics. Cherie Blyde who was employed at the time by Taranaki Rugby as a Rugby Development Officer made her daughter who had just recommenced playing rugby, attend one of the open trials.[10][11]

At the trial she was put through various fitness, rugby skill and character assessment activities.[11] Blyde was heavily involved in playing football at the time and was upset when attendance at a second trial meant missing out on a football tournament.[11] Of the 800 who attended a trial, Blyde along with Gayle Broughton and Lauren Bayens from Taranaki were among the 30 deemed promising who attended a training camp at Waiouru in mid-2012.[10]

Debut for the Black Fern Sevens

Blyde's superior speed, meant that at 17 years of age and still at high school she debuted for the New Zealand Sevens at the 2013 Oceania Women's Sevens Championship in Noosa, Australia in October 2013.[2] As she commenced her warmed-up for her first game she noticed her father on the sidelines. He had without telling her flown over from New Zealand to surprise her, which caused her to break down and begin crying before she ran to give him a hug.[9] Blyde found it daunting playing alongside and against experienced players at a national and international level. Alongside representing New Zealand Blyde played for her school in the 2013 Condor Sevens, which was the first time New Plymouth Girls' High had fielded a team in this National Secondary Schools Rugby Sevens competition.[10] Competing against 16 other teams New Plymouth made it to the final, only to lose to Hamilton Girls. Blyde was named Player of the Tournament and was also selected for the tournament team. Outside of school she also played in regional competitions and for Taranaki in national competitions in 2013.[10] Blyde played for the Taranaki team in the National Sevens competition in January 2014 where they came fifth.[10]

Immediately upon leaving school Blyde was offered a national training contract for 2014, and in February of that year, she took part in her first Rugby World Sevens Series tournament.

Rio Olympic Games

Along with Shiray Tane she was one of the two traveling reserves for the Rio Games, which required them to stay in accommodation outside of the Olympic village away from the rest of the team.[9] Following the disappointment of not making the playing side Blyde made significant changes to improve her performance.[12] After commencing the 2016-2017 Women's World Sevens Series with only a one-year contract Blyde was to end the season with 40 points and the title of the series' top try-scorer, which assisted New Zealand in winning the series title. Her performance led to Blyde being named 2017 World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the year.[13]

Over the course of the 2017-2018 Women's World Sevens Series Blyde scored 27 tries and was named World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the year in 2018, becoming the first women's player to win it not only twice, but in consecutive years.[14][9]

In 2018, she won gold medals at both the Commonwealth Games and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. She also won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.[15] At Tokyo Blyde scored seven tries in five matches, including in the final.

2022 Commonwealth Games

Blyde was named in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[16][17] She won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.[18][19]

She later won a silver medal at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[20][21][22]

Awards and honours

Personal life

After graduating she studied for a Certificate in Animal Care at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin.[10] In 2014 she commenced a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise through correspondence at Massey University.[10] Her younger brothers, Liam and Cole were academy rugby players with Taranaki, Liam went on to be selected for a development project for the men's Sevens team before playing for the Taranaki Bulls in 2021.[28]

References
  1. "Michaela Blyde". World Rugby. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. Shepard, Kit (20 June 2022). "Michaela Blyde: Ten things to know about the New Zealand Sevens back". Rugby World. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. "Michaela Blyde". World Rugby. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. Johnston, Will (26 May 2022). "Cherry Blyde becomes first female president of Taranaki Rugby in its 136-year history". Stuff. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  5. "Mum's The Word". Rugby News. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  6. Hills, Murray (18 November 2010). "Double take as twins share rugby award". Stuff. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  7. Bertrand, Kelly (1 May 2018). "Black Ferns Sevens player Michaela Blyde's special bond with her mother". Now to Love. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  8. "Athletics New Zealand Records & Rankings – Michael Blyde". Athletics New Zealand Records & Rankings. Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  9. Johannsen, Dana (6 March 2022). "Generation game: The wildly different experiences of mother-daughter Black Ferns Cherry and Michaela Blyde". Stuff. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  10. "Animal Instincts". New Zealand Rugby Players Association. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  11. Swannell, Rikki (2022). Sevens Sisters: How a People First Culture Turned Silver into Gold (Paperback). Auckland: Mower. pp. 20, 23. ISBN 978-1-990003-58-5.
  12. Kidd, Heather. "Black Ferns Sevens star Michaela Blyde finds strength and resilience after an Olympic disappointment". This NZ Life. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  13. "Six awards go to New Zealander players at world rugby players awards". New Zealand Rugby Players Association. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  14. "Michaela Blyde named sevens player of the year". Radio New Zealand. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  15. Matthews, Jane (1 August 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Two sevens players bringing gold medals home to families in Taranaki". Stuff. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  16. "Rugby Sevens teams named for Commonwealth Games". allblacks.com. New Zealand Rugby. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  17. "Experienced New Zealand sevens squads revealed for Commonwealth Games". Stuff. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  18. McConnell, Lynn (1 August 2022). "Double bronze for New Zealand Sevens sides in Birmingham". allblacks.com. New Zealand Rugby. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  19. "NZ Sevens sides bounce back to win bronze medals". 1 News. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  20. Julian, Adam (12 September 2022). "New Zealand sides scoop silver in Cape Town". allblacks.com. New Zealand Rugby. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  21. "NZ Sevens come up short, losing World Cup finals in Cape Town". 1 News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  22. Wilson, Sam (11 September 2022). "Recap: New Zealand's men and women beaten in Rugby World Cup Sevens finals in Cape Town". Stuff. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  23. "Canadians dominate Langford Dream Team". Americas Rugby News. 2017-05-29. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  24. "World Rugby Sevens Players of the Year 2019 nominees announced". World Rugby. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  25. "Gold medallist takes home top Taranaki award". Stuff. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  26. "DHL Performance Tracker - HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series | worldrugby.org/sevens-series". World Rugby. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  27. Harvey, Helen (31 December 2021). "Blacks Ferns Sevens stars Blyde and Broughton share Taranaki Daily News Person of the Year 2021". Stuff. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  28. O'Keeffe, Michael; Eddy, Kristina (17 January 2019). "Sevens rugby runs in family for All Blacks hopeful Liam Blyde". Newshub. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
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