JavaScript disabled. Please enable JavaScript to use My News, My Clippings, My Comments and user settings.

New feature Personalise your news, save articles to read later and customise settings View Demo

Hi there! Beta version

If you have trouble accessing our login form below, you can go to our login page.

Sport

Chance for Olympic glory inspires Williams

November 9, 2011
Chance for Olympic glory inspires Williams

Sharni Williams wants to make Dubai the first stop on her journey towards the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite not having played international sevens before, Canberra Royals back Williams is confident she can make a seamless transition to the modified game and have an immediate impact.

Williams and Kristy Giteau will leave Canberra today for an Australian sevens camp at Noosa before playing in a tournament at the Gold Coast and then the Dubai Sevens at the end of the month.

Sevens will be added to the Olympic program in 2016 and Australia is the reigning sevens World Cup champion.

At only 23 years old, Williams is hoping she can hold on to her spot in the team long enough to be a part of Australia's bid to be Olympic champion.

''I'm pretty young at the moment and by the time the Olympics come around I could be pushing it to still be playing,'' Williams said.

''You've got to look at what's coming up and I'm looking towards the [15-a-side] World Cup first.

''But the Olympics gives you something to aspire to and hopefully that means getting more players involved and having to fight for your spot harder as well.

''The Olympics gives you a tangible goal rather than finishing and saying you've played in two or three tournaments.''

The trip to Dubai will be the Australian team's first trip there since it won the inaugural women's sevens World Cup in 2009, beating New Zealand in the final.

Williams and Giteau are hoping to join the same circuit as the men.

For the past year the sevens squad has been training to get themselves ready to step up to the next level.

The ARU hosts training camps at the AIS every two months, but the players have to juggle full-time work and training every day.

Williams is a mechanic while Giteau works for Active After School Communities, a program.

Giteau - the sister of former Wallaby and ACT Brumby Matt Giteau - said her goal was to make the 2013 World Cup side, and she would then look towards the Olympics.

''Sevens is a tough game, it's all about repeat efforts and being able to maintain the intensity,'' Giteau, 30, said.

''You have to do the training or you're going to be a liability for the team ... sometimes at lunchtime I can squeeze training in, but usually it's done before and after work.

''You never know what's going to happen with your body or what talent is coming through, so I tend to focus on short-term goals and I'm aiming for the 2013 World Cup.''

Meanwhile, the women's ACT sevens team begins training on Monday in preparation for a busy schedule in the coming months.

Organisers hope to attract more players to the sport with the team to play in tournaments at Darwin, Kiama and Queanbeyan.