PARIS — United States rugby player Naya Tapper was a high school All-American in track, but she had soccer aspirations.
Tapper’s older brother, Mark LeGree, played football and was eventually drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Tapper hoped to follow in his footsteps.
“I wanted to play football growing up because I watched my brother. He had an amazing career playing from the minor leagues to the NFL. Watching him and also having the traits of being really aggressive and having a lot of energy was a football dream come true,” Tapper told USA TODAY Sports. “But as you get older you realize that as a woman it’s not really an option right now. When I realized that and finished the athletics thing, I found rugby and it kind of blossomed from there.”
Tapper’s sporting career has flourished magnificently in rugby. She started playing the sport at 18 at the University of North Carolina and hasn’t looked back. In 2016 he started playing professionally and became a prop.
Tapper made her debut at the Tokyo Olympics, where the US women’s team finished sixth. She is currently the all-time US women’s career leader in attempts. In Paris, Tapper is Team USA’s rugby captain in what she plans to be her last Olympics.
2024 Olympic medals: Who leads the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for each sport.
“It feels amazing. I have to remind myself every day that this is actually the situation right now because I could never have imagined that I would come to my second Olympics and be the captain,” Tapper said. “I appreciate my coach raising me for the qualities that I have instead of putting me down and putting me in this position to be a great representation for the young black girls that watch me.”
USA women’s rugby coach Emilie Bydwell said before the Olympics that Tapper has been a vital leader and top performer in the sport.
“Naya has established herself as one of the greats to play the game in this relatively new women’s professional era, combining power, pace and determination to help propel the team forward,” Bydwell he said. “In addition to her contributions on the court, Naya has served as a transformational leader and a key driver in developing the culture we have as a team.”
The 29-year-old helped the women’s club beat Japan 36-7 in the first round and beat Brazil 24-5 to start 2-0 in Pool C.
The USA women’s team will face Olympic host nation France on Monday before the quarterfinals begin. They have the chance to win their first Olympic medal in rugby sevens, which would be a remarkable conclusion for the former track and field athlete, who wanted to play soccer but found her calling in rugby.
“That would end my career in the most beautiful way,” Tapper said. “If that were to happen, it would be very difficult for me to leave, but it would mean so much to the sport and the organization in the US, where we are really trying to grow the sport and bring in new fans and players.”