Paris – Krissy Scurfield got one sentence out before the tears took over.
It was so hard, she told her rugby sevens teammates as they stood before a friendly crowd at Canada Olympic House, to watch from a hospital bed as they battled for gold and eventually settled for silver without her.
Scurfield, a team stalwart and offensive dynamo from Canmore, Alta., apparently suffered an internal laceration in a July 28 game against New Zealand and missed the remaining four games of the Canadian team’s Olympic tournament. It was a devastating turn of events for the gritty competitor.
On Wednesday, the day after that glorious night Canada beat Australia to make it into the final — then lost the gold medal game to New Zealand — head coach Jack Hanratty placed the silver medal around Scurfield’s neck.
“That’s when the waterworks came, for sure,” said teammate Caroline Crossley, of Victoria. “They passed the mic to her, she said she was so proud of us. She didn’t get a lot of words out. She was very emotional. All the emotions built up over the last three days. Then seeing her get that medal, something we know she deserves because she was just as big a part of that win, this silver medal, it was really amazing.”
Scurfield was not made available to the media for interviews on Wednesday. But in an Instagram post earlier in the week, she described what she was feeling.
“I took these first two pictures on a walk after I was told I will no longer be playing in the Olympics due to an internal laceration I sustained while playing.
“I am sad, angry, confused, and experiencing so many emotions that I can’t even put a finger on. I am disappointed that I cannot play for my teammates. I am sad I cannot play more games for my friends, family, and country. I am heartbroken.
“But here I am, in Paris at the Olympics. I am grateful. I can still smile and be proud of all of my incredible teammates who inspire me and push me every single day. I am proud of my country. I am proud of myself. I did all I could when I had my shot, now it’s time for someone else to have theirs.”
Losing Scurfield was a blow for the team.
“For me personally it was very emotional,” said Crossley. “Krissy is like the heart of our team. She just puts her body on the line every single time. We took a hit when it first happened. Obviously she’s an amazing player and we want her on the field but we also know how hard she worked for this and we wanted her to have this opportunity.”