As Wagga’s Alicia Quirk stepped up to the podium on Tuesday morning to be adorned with her gold medal, thousands of Wagga residents rose with her.

Even for a city accustomed to the sweet taste of sporting success, this was something to savour.

Wagga finally had one of its own in sport’s Valhalla.

In the afterglow of Australia’s 1983 America’s Cup victory, former prime minister Bob Hawke famously declared any boss who sacked a worker for not turning up on the day after the win was “a bum”.

The same applies to any boss in Wagga who begrudged a worker turning up late on Tuesday.

In sporting terms, the 10 minutes a half played in rugby sevens is a nanosecond.

But for the scores of locals glued to the gold medal match, that second half felt like an eternity.

The Aussie Pearls were near flawless: flair in attack, brutal defence and remorseless running.

But gold medals are even rarer than a pearl in an oyster.

Imagine training for four years for a single sporting event.

Imagine the sacrifice you make to become the best on the planet: the freezing mornings, the excruciating training sessions, the milestones of family and friends you miss to achieve your goal.

And now imagine the feeling you get when that goal is realised, feeling the weight of the Olympic gold in your hand as the strains of your country’s national anthem floats on the breeze.

Imagine looking out to the crowd and seeing the faces of your parents, who have ridden along on your journey from before you were born.

The efforts of Ms Quirk, Batlow’s Sharni Williams and their indefatigable teammates should inspire us all and remind us that rewards always come through sacrifice.

Negativity has cast a shadow over the Rio Olympics – the drug scandals, the crime, the below-par accommodation.

But the glare from such an inspiring gold medal effort shows the Games in their true light.

Tuesday marked a defining moment in women’s rugby in Australia and a defining moment for women’s sport in Wagga.

The City of Good Sports finally has a new sporting hero, and her name’s Alicia.