Kaitlin Shave

Kaitlin Shave epitomises the blend of hard work and raw ability needed to progress to the pinnacle of Rugby Sevens. Born in South Brisbane, she attended Clairvaux Mackillop College where she found great success as a sprinter at an early age.

Kaitlin ran in the 200m, the 100m hurdles and the 4x100 metre relay event at the Australian School Athletics Championships. However it was in the 100m sprint that Kaitlin found the most success,  recording a time of 12:07 in 2017 to take out the U17 Australian Championship.

Her speed saw her find success in other sports outside of athletics. After a brief stint with Bond University at the Uni 7s in 2018, Kaitlin took an opportunity to play for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL touch premiership. She played in the 2019 grand final against the Parramatta Eels, with Kaitlin and the Brisbane side claiming victory 4-2.

Kaitlin first caught the eye of Australian coach Tim Walsh when she played for the Balkans Honey Badgers during a Rugby 10s competition in South Africa. Her performances at domestic level saw her earn selection for state honours, featuring for Queensland at the Next Gen Sevens alongside former University of Queensland and now Australian teammate Isabella Nasser.

After strong performances across these various tournaments Kaitlin began training with the Australian squad in 2023, as well as playing in matches for the Australia 'A' side.

She earned selection for Australia's rugby sevens squad in 2023 for the Dubai Sevens, where she made her debut in the opening match again Brazil. She illustrated her speed with a blistering run down the sideline to score her first try in international sevens, capping off a dominant win for Australia.

In Cape Town later in the year Australia was locked in a close battle against France in in the final. Kaitlin's speed and x-factor would prove the difference in the match, scoring a late try to seal the title.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Kaitlin and the team were a perfect three wins from three games in the pool stage. They took care of Ireland in the quarter-finals 40-7 before a strong Canadian team halted Australia's run in the semi-finals, inflicting a 21-12 loss.

In a tense fight for a bronze medal against the USA, the Americans scored a converted try after time expired for a 14-12 score to relegate the Aussies to fourth place.