Aussie rugby star Kaitlin Shave rebounds from Paris heartbreak

Kaitlin Shave's Olympic dream lasted only minutes before a devastating knee injury tore it away in Paris 2024.

The Australian rugby sevens star had barely touched the ball in her opening match against South Africa when she suffered a gruesome ACL tear. Surgery and months of lonely rehabilitation followed, forcing the Queensland athlete to miss the entire 2024/25 season while her teammates competed around the world.

But Shave refused to let that moment define her career. The 25-year-old made her triumphant return to the World Series this year, and she's already proving the comeback was worth the wait.

Last weekend in Valladolid, Spain, Shave helped Australia win the World Championship leg with a performance that showcased why she's one of the sport's most electrifying players. With just over a minute left in the semifinal against New Zealand and Australia trailing, Shave found open space and let her sprinting background take over.

She blazed 55 meters downfield to score the match-leveling try. Her teammate Tia Hinds converted the score, sealing a thrilling 28-26 comeback victory before Australia defeated the USA 27-14 in the final.

"It was kind of automatic," Shave said of the game-changing run. "I just started sprinting."

The try wasn't just a highlight reel moment. It vaulted Australia past New Zealand into first place on the overall World Championship standings heading into this weekend's final leg in Bordeaux, France.

Why This Inspires: Shave's journey from Olympic heartbreak to championship form shows what resilience looks like in action. She spent months in rehabilitation, a process she describes as "lonely sometimes," but emerged with a deeper gratitude for every moment on the field. "Coming back, I don't really take anything for granted," she told ABC Sport from France. "I'm 10 times more grateful than I was before."

The perspective shift has made her stronger both on and off the field. As a former national junior sprint champion who once dreamed of Olympic gold in track and field, Shave knows how to channel speed into success.

Now she's focused on two goals: helping Australia secure the World Championship title in Bordeaux this weekend, and erasing the pain of Paris by making the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Australia faces Brazil, Fiji and Japan in pool play before the knockout rounds begin.

"I definitely feel as though I have a lot of unfinished business," Shave said about the Games ahead.

Four years might seem distant, but for an athlete who's already conquered injury and doubt, 2028 represents a second chance worth every sprint.