Alena Olsen

Alena Olsen
Date of birth (1995-12-06) December 6, 1995 (age 28)
Place of birthGrand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight139 lb (63 kg)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrumhalf, Flyhalf
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
 United States 53 (43 pts)
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team competition
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Team competition

Alena Olsen (/əˈleɪnə/ ə-LAY-nə; born December 6, 1995)[1] is an American rugby sevens player. She captains the Headliners women's team in the Premier Rugby Sevens competition.[2]

In 2021, Olsen and some of her teammates released a video that urged fans to sign the Global Climate Pledge, an initiative by the United States Green Chamber of Commerce.[3][4]

Olsen competed for the United States at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[5][6] They lost to France in the bronze medal final and finished fourth overall.[7][8]

In 2024, Olsen competed for the United States in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she and her team won a bronze medal, a first for Team USA Rugby Sevens.[9][10]

  1. ^ "OLSEN Alena". 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Premier Rugby Sevens all set to return in San Jose". Americas Rugby News. July 9, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Alena Olsen, Rugby (USA)". EcoAthletes. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Alena Olsen fights climate change". Planet Sevens. April 24, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "USA names rosters for Sevens World Cup". Americas Rugby News. September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Cahill, Calder (September 1, 2022). "Women's Eagles Sevens target podium chase as roster is named for the Rugby World Cup Sevens". eagles.rugby. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Kortemeier, Todd (September 11, 2022). "U.S. Women Finish Fourth, Men 11th At Rugby World Cup Sevens". teamusa.org. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  8. ^ Cahill, Calder (September 11, 2022). "USA Women's Sevens fall just short of bronze at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022". eagles.rugby. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Pye, John. "U.S. women, Caledonia's Olsen win first Olympic medal in rugby sevens". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Murphy, Mary Ellen. "West Michigan's Alena Olsen Wins Bronze in Women's Rugby Sevens at Paris Olympics". WGHN. Retrieved July 31, 2024.