The U.S. men’s rugby sevens team qualified for a third consecutive Olympics and will seek its first medal in Paris next year.
The Americans won a North American Olympic qualifier over the last week, beating host Canada 24-14 in Sunday’s winner-take-all final.
The U.S. placed ninth at the 2016 Rio Games, where rugby returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1924 and the sevens discipline made its Olympic debut.
The Americans were sixth in Tokyo, squandering a 21-0 lead over Great Britain in the quarterfinals.
The face of the team is 37-year-old Perry Baker, the only man to win two World Player of the Year awards (in 2017 and 2018).
Brit Mike Friday has been head coach since 2014, leading the Eagles to second place in the 2018-19 World Series standings. The team since dropped in the rankings and was 10th this past season, its lowest place in nine years.
The U.S. women’s rugby team qualified for the Paris Olympics this past March.