Youth Commonwealth Games Gold for King's Girls

Some of the top young athletes from around the world ascended on the twin island nations of Trinidad and Tobago for the seventh Commonwealth Youth Games. With more than 1,000 young athletes competing in the 2023 event, it was incredible to see two of King’s talented students, Ava Wereta and Amahli Hala, join the Australian squad after qualifying for our nation’s Rugby Seven’s Female Youth team this year. Australia entered the Games as the defending champions, winning Gold against Canada in the last Youth Games, and they were unstoppable from the outset this year, conceding only two tries in the entire competition.

Led by King’s student, Ava Wereta and her teammate Piper Simons, their first round began with a 71-0 defeat over Trinidad and Tobago, followed by wins over Canada (33-0), Wales (26-7) and then Kenya (45-0). They entered the semi-finals against Fiji and again showed their dominance, winning 43-5. Our King’s players were instrumental in the semi-final success – with Amahli scoring a double try, while Ava collected 11 points. The Grand Final was a rematch against the Canadians, and our Aussie team defended their title with ease, winning 50-0 and holding firmly to the Gold. The team’s coach, Shannon Parry, affirmed their incredible efforts: "I'm exceptionally proud of this team - we came here to do a job, and the job's done: we secured the third consecutive Youth Commonwealth Games Gold Medal for Australia.”

World Rugby Chief Executive Officer, Alan Gilpin, talked about the value of the Commonwealth Youth Games in preparing future rugby sevens stars to experience high-level and meaningful competition. “We have seen gold medal winners from these Games go on to win medals in the Olympics and in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series,” he said. With Ava and Amahli’s Games Gold accomplishment to their names, we know the future is bright as they continue to chase their sporting dreams. CONGRATULATIONS Ava and Amahli - King’s is so proud of you both!