Alicia Quirk has locked in a new deal with Australian Rugby to see her through to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wagga’s only Olympic gold medallist said it was an easy choice as she embarks on another campaign.
“It’s very exciting and I’m very happy to be signed on to play rugby professionally for another two years,” Quirk said. “It is an awesome opportunity itself in day-to-day life and obviously to have the added carrot of being able to go to a second Olympics is fantastic.
“They didn’t have to twist my arm too much to get me to sign.”
Loving every moment of her first Olympic Games experience, Quirk believes being the defending champions only adds to the team’s desire to win gold once more.
“Rio was such a fantastic experience and having that exposure to an Olympics before only makes you want to go to another one,” she said.
“To have brought home a gold medal at the first one there is nothing less than what we want to come home from another one in Tokyo.
“To be able to have two around my neck would be absolutely the icing on the cake – if there isn’t icing on it already.”
Quirk is on the comeback trail after a knee injury ended her World Cup ambitions.
The 26-year-old suffered torn medial cruciate ligament in the semi-final loss to France, and missed the bronze medal win, in July.
However after spending six weeks in a knee brace, she was back running on the field for the first time on Monday.
The Olympics is already her radar with the top four sides from the 2018-19 World Series automatically qualifying for Tokyo.
“The 2018-19 season will be massive in terms of qualifying for Tokyo and making sure we finish top four in the World Series overall out of the six legs over the world,” she said. “Once we secure our qualification for Tokyo it’s really ramping everything up for 2020.
“It is all guns blazing for the next two years, which is really exciting.”
The series starts next month in Colorado before heading to Dubai in November and Sydney in February.
Despite having plenty on the line, Quirk doesn’t want to rush her return after being plagued by knee issues last season.
“Because I came off an injury post Comm Games to my knee and injury post the World Cup with the same knee we’re literally taking it day-by-day,” she said.
“If I’m there fantastic, but if I’m not we are not going to risk it.
“The qualifying is such a big year and I would much rather miss one and play the remaining five than rush anything again and do any long term damage with the stakes really high for the next two years. “I want to make sure I’m fully fitting and firing on all cylinders and if that means waiting until Dubai then I will wait until Dubai.”
Batlow’s Sharni Williams re-signed alongside Quirk and her co-captain Shannon Parry.
READ MORE