The speed of American sevens player Carlin Isles is hard to match. Photo / Getty Images
The speed of American sevens player Carlin Isles is hard to match. Photo / Getty Images
The speed of American sevens player Carlin Isles is hard to match. Photo / Getty Images GettyImages-1070421838_1.JPG
As the rounds of World Rugby's HSBC Sevens Series go by in an Olympic qualifying year, it's no surprise athletes look towards code jumping in the hopes of representing their country at Olympiclevel.
Just this week it was revealed that Australia's fastest man, 22-year-old Trae Williams, also known as Quadzilla because of his ridiculously massive thighs, is quitting athletics, having been picked up by Australian rugby. He's signed a sevens contract until 2021.
Perfect timing to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if all goes well for Australia.
American sevens player Carlin Isles, known as rugby's fastest man, is a beast on the sevens field. He's no stranger to hitting speeds of 36 and 37km in a game and he seemingly does it with ease because, let's be honest, there really isn't anyone putting the pressure on him to know what he's truly capable of. I mean, Perry Baker is pretty impressive in the speed department but he's on the same team as Isles.
Apparently, Williams' fastest 100m time of 10.10s is slightly faster than Isles', which could mean some extra pressure on the American - but he's not about to give up his title.
Speed is a massive skill in the sevens field. If you can't be caught, you can't be tackled so it's no surprise it's a talent teams are looking to bolster their side with.
There's talk of 18-year-old Osei-Nketia, who could have a world class sprint career, being an All Blacks Sevens prospect.
It's nothing new and if you have a chance at representing your country in more than one sport, why wouldn't you jump at that chance?
This weekend, sevens teams from around the world continue their bid for automatic Olympic qualification.
There are just two tournaments left of the World Rugby's HSBC Sevens Series. Teams that finish in the top four qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. That automatic qualification will provide those teams with relief and focus.
The All Blacks Sevens squad go into the second to last tournament of the series, in London this weekend, in third place on the overall standings with 130 points.
At the top of the men's standings, USA sit on 145 points, followed close behind by Fiji in second place on 142 points. New Zealand sits three points ahead of South Africa and 23 points ahead of fifth-place England.
So far this season, the New Zealand men's squad has won tournaments in Dubai and Sydney, finished third in Hamilton and Las Vegas and fourth in Cape Town. Since March however,placings have fallen, finishing the Vancouver tournament in fifth place and the Hong Kong and Singapore Sevens tournaments in April, in sixth.
They need a strong performance over the next two tournaments to ensure they retain their top four place.
The travelling All Blacks Sevens team this weekend includes Scott Curry (c), Tim Mikkelson (c), Tone Ng Shiu, Jona Nareki, Dylan Collier, Vilimoni Koroi, Scott Gregory, Andrew Knewstubb, Regan Ware, Kurt Baker, Joe Webber, Sione Molia and the 1.9m speedster Joe Ravouvou is the travelling reserve.
