New Zealand sevens player Kelly Brazier put her old school through a rollercoaster of emotions yesterday.
The former Otago Girls' High School pupil helped set up the first try in the gold medal match against Australia at the Rio Olympics, much to the delight of about 700 girls who were watching the match live during a school assembly.
That joy soon turned to disappointment when star player Portia Woodman received a yellow card for deliberately knocking the ball down.
The world's No1-ranked side scored twice during her absence and eventually prevailed 24-17.
Silver might not have been the medal the New Zealanders were hoping for, but Brazier (26), who attended the school from 2003 to 2007, had a solid game and joined an exclusive club.
She is the 13th Otago Girls' Olympic representative and just the fifth to win a medal after long jumper Yvette Williams (gold, 1952), swimmer Jean Stewart (bronze, 1952) and sailors Jan Shearer (silver, 1992) and Jenny Armstrong (gold, 2000).
''We are still pretty proud of the girls in getting silver, definitely,'' Brazier's former physical education teacher Tracy Ward said.
''They didn't give up until the end and that is all you can ask for.
''I think [Kelly] played well through the campaign.''
Ms Ward coached Brazier when she was at the school and remembers her as a grounded and dedicated athlete.
''She was in the First XV from year 9 right through to year 13. She was probably one of our star players but never let that get to her.
"She is a really humble, committed, hard-working player - never thought she was too good for the other girls. Definitely a role model on and off the field in terms of showing our school values of respect, integrity and positivity.''
Brazier, who made her provincial debut as a 15-year-old, scored a whopping 64 points in a premier women's club game for Alhambra-Union against Kaikorai in 2009.
She scored 10 tries, kicked seven conversions and might have scored more points had she not shared the goal-kicking with teammate Charlotte Brock, who landed five conversions.
Alhambra Union stalwart Geoff Simons managed that team and said Brazier always stood out.
''She was an outstanding player, really,'' Simons said.
''It is quite different seeing her play for the sevens team because she is just really used for her ball distribution skills. But she still has a lot of other skills that she doesn't use.''
Brazier played 31 games for Otago between 2005 and 2012 before moving north to further her sevens career.
