Jasmine Joyce: Wales wing hopes to achieve 2021 World Cup and Olympics double
- Published
England, Scotland and Wales Sevens teams will join forces in 2021
Wales wing Jasmine Joyce is hoping to complete an Olympics and World Cup double in 2021.
Joyce is targeting appearing for Team GB sevens in the delayed Tokyo Olympics in the summer, having competed at the 2016 Games in Rio.
The 25-year-old hopes to then represent Wales in the World Cup in New Zealand in September and October.
"I'm definitely hoping to do both and I never would have thought this would happen in one year," said Joyce.
"To have an Olympics and World Cup, two such big competitions so close together, is unusual.
"I'm going to put myself mentally and physically in the best position to do that. It will be tough because your bodies are going to be battered after it.
"But these are the competitions and moments players train for."
England, Scotland and Wales will unite to field a combined GB Sevens team for the 2021 season ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo.
The Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby Union and Welsh Rugby Union have secured funding from a commercial partnership with the National Lottery.
Jasmine Joyce in action for Team GB in Rio
The men's and women's GB sevens teams will compete in the HSBC World Sevens Series in the build-up to and after next summer's Olympics in Japan.
"It was definitely unexpected, especially with everything that's going on at the moment," said Joyce.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic about it and I know a lot of the other girls from the nations will be as well.
"The opportunity to go on the circuit and play together is the best thing that could happen to the GB squad."
Next year could also be the year Joyce becomes one of the Welsh women who are handed professional contracts by the WRU, with the proposed move coming closer to mirror England.
For now, Joyce is among a strong Welsh contingent at Bristol where she currently tops the try-scoring charts in the Allianz Premier 15s league.
Joyce and fellow Welsh players Keira Bevan and Hannah Jones were among a 24-strong Team GB squad named last year, before the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year because of coronavirus.
Jasmine Joyce in action for Wales against Ireland in the 2020 Six Nations
The Pembrokeshire product was the only non-English player in the Team GB women's squad in Rio and believes there could be more Welsh and Scottish involvement in Japan.
"Four years ago, the England squad was world class, they were coming consistently in the top three and I think now it's a new developing squad," added Joyce.
"They're still doing so well on the circuit now but I think there's room for some Welsh and Scottish to come in.
"This will be good for GB as a whole and their individual nations as well, because I know when I did it the publicity we got for the Welsh nation and girls rugby in Wales was huge."
Competing in a second Olympics is something driving Joyce on.
"It's a dream come true to be at one Olympics and another would be awesome," said Joyce.
"Ten years ago I never would have even thought I would have made one Olympics, let alone potentially be going to another one."