THREE years on from Olympic disappointment, Amy Wilson-Hardy is relishing her Paris 2024 reprieve.

The Poole-born star was part of Team GB's first ever rugby sevens squad at Rio 2016, finishing in a heartbreaking fourth place before a stress fracture and COVID-impacted training time saw her miss out on selection for Tokyo 2020.

Wilson-Hardy has been on a road to redemption ever since and quickly turned her attention to the next Games cycle.

Battling back into a team that placed fourth again in Japan, Wilson-Hardy helped Great Britain win gold at the European Games in Poland last year, securing an Olympic spot in the process.

The 32-year-old is now firmly back in the squad, closing the door on a challenging chapter of rugby for the Ealing Trailfinders back.

Wilson-Hardy said: “It has felt a long time coming. That is probably why I feel extra excited now. I put such a guard up after the heartbreak of Tokyo and not making that squad.

“When we got emailed the squad for Tokyo selection, I was emotionless.

“I have never had a feeling quite like it. I read the whole list, saw I wasn’t on it, and I had nothing.

“I am not an emotional person, but when it comes to sport I am. If you were to ask me, my natural thought would have been that I’d burst into tears.

“I just didn't have anything. It took me a couple of days to process the enormity of that.

“I knew it was a make-or-break moment for me after that. It was either going to be it and my rugby career was over, or I was going to talk to the coaches and process this.

“We had some really honest conversations and after the Olympics I think I played some of my best rugby. 

“I had this new lease of life, and I knew I had to get to Paris, have three years building and getting my confidence back.

“This time the tears came a bit quicker, but they were happy tears. It was only when the final 12 was confirmed that I really let go and the tears came flooding."

Team GB kick-off their rugby sevens hopes this Sunday and face a difficult pool stage against 2016 gold medallists Australia, plus South Africa and Ireland.

Head coach Ciaran Beattie has sprinkled some extra stardust into his squad, including the addition of Guinness Women’s Six Nations Player of the Year, Ellie Kildunne.

Bringing such a high-quality and experienced player into the squad will only strengthen the team’s depth and enhance the talents of Wilson-Hardy, Meg Jones, Jasmine Joyce, and the rest of the GB team.

Wilson-Hardy believes that you can even see similarities to the 2016 team that were felled by Canada in the bronze medal match, when 2014 Rugby World Cup winners Emily Scarratt, Heather Fisher, Danielle Waterman, and Katy Daley-McLean were all parachuted in the squad and played key roles.

Wilson-Hardy said. “There are shades of 2016. We were medal hopes then, but we didn’t.

“We are underdogs this year and we have got enormous talent in this group. 

“That includes Meg Jones and Ellie Kildunne coming from 15s, but the girls that came to this group as youngsters and are now confident, exciting players to watch.

“With aid of those 15s players coming through, we are in a really good place. We are a team that if we perform and get it right, we can beat anyone. I honestly believe that.”

Watch every moment of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live only on discover+, the streaming home of the Olympics