South Shields rugby star Katy McLean in Team GB Olympic squad
The British Olympic Association today officially announced the names of the 24 men and women who will compete in rugby sevens at Rio 2016.
Rugby returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1924 while it will be the first time in 108 years that Team GB has had representation in rugby at the games.
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Hide AdMcLean is a women's rugby legend, having skippered England to World Cup glory in 2014 in France.
But for the Darlington Mowden Park Sharks stand-off this is a dream come true after the 30-year-old had targeted a place in the Olympic team.
Katy, a former school teacher in Sunderland, has been a full-time pro for the last two years.
Olympic competition takes place over six days with the women competing first from August 6-8 at the Deodoro Stadium in a pool which includes hosts Brazil, Japan and Canada.
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Hide AdEmily Scarratt will captain the women’s squad which features a number of experienced names from England’s 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup winning side and the squad who have competed in the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series last season as professional athletes.
The women’s squad, who have been training full time as a wider GB group since October last year, have played in invitational and training tournaments around the globe this season alongside England’s exploits on the circuit, in which they won the Langford event.
The men’s competition follows from August 9-11 with Kenya, Japan and New Zealand waiting in the pool stages for Team GB.
Newcastle Falcons wing Marcus Watson has been named in the men's squad.
Squads are listed below with the player's home town.
Men’s Squad
Mark Bennett, 23, Glasgow
Dan Bibby, 25, Putney
Phil Burgess, 28, Farnborough
Sam Cross, 23, Newport
Alex Davis, 23, Bristol
James Davies, 25, Carmarthen
Ollie Lindsay Hague, 25, London
Tom Mitchell, 27, Wandsworth
Dan Norton, 28, Bristol
James Rodwell, 31, Cotteridge
Mark Robertson, 31, Galashiels
Marcus Watson, 25, Weybridge
Travelling reserves:
Luke Treharne, 23, Llanelli
Ruaridh McConnochie, 24, Kingston upon Thames
Women’s Squad
Claire Allan, 31, Ealing
Abbie Brown, 20, Exeter
Heather Fisher, 32, Birmingham
Natasha Hunt, 27, Gloucester
Jasmine Joyce, 20, Haverfordwest
Katy McLean, 30, South Shields
Alice Richardson, 29, Worcester
Emily Scarratt, 26, Leicester
Emily Scott, 24, Corringham
Danielle Waterman, 31, Bristol
Joanne Watmore, 29, Chester
Amy Wilson-Hardy, 24, Poole
Travelling reserves:
Megan Jones, 19, Cardiff
Kay Wilson, 24, Caterham