Krissy Scurfield's bittersweet Olympics: ‘The most challenging time of my career’

Krissy Scurfield admits that her Olympic experience was bittersweet.

While the Loughborough Lightning wing left Paris with a silver medal in her luggage, Scurfield had to watch as her teammates almost went the distance from her hospital bed.

Record crowds watched on as the world’s best did battle at the Stade de France and players competed in their sport’s showpiece event.

Coming into the game Scurfield had been in the form of her life.

Scoring 20 tries in 37 HSBC SVNS appearances last season, she had been a major influence for her nation as they finished fifth in the Series and fourth at the Grand Finals in Madrid.

As the world descended upon the French capital Scurfield was one of the players to look out for.

In Canada’s second game of the tournament, against eventual gold medal rivals New Zealand, her time on the pitch abruptly ended.

When the ball bounced towards her opponents, the Alberta native dived onto the ball to gain possession and in a split second saw her hopes of standing alongside her teammates on the podium dashed.

“I just got a knee directly into my side where my kidney is,” Scurfield explained.

“I was so winded for 15 seconds. I thought I had broken my hip. I had never felt anything like that before. I thought if it was just a bone, I could play it off.

“It was pain. I could push through it. I played for another minute or two and then I got the ball, had the opportunity to go for a big run and just couldn’t run.”

As much as the former ice hockey player had hoped it was a bone injury, Scurfield soon found out it was not.

Some scans and blood tests later it became apparent that she had lacerated her kidney and was duly replaced by Taylor Perry in the squad.

Due to the seriousness of her injury, the only way to stay close to the action was to watch French television from her hospital bed.

Four months on from those days in the French capital and Scurfield is still processing her emotions.

Experiencing such a whirlwind in such a short space of time was an unexpected and unwanted challenge for the 21-year-old.

Now looking back, the pride that Scurfield has for the team she was an integral figure in, stands taller than anything else.

“The team did incredible,” she said. “There were outstanding performances all around and we just worked so hard to get to that point.

“There was nothing else but pride in that performance, however I didn’t get to play.

“But that is just the way of rugby, and you can’t expect to be healthy for every tournament.

“Definitely bittersweet, but nothing but pride for the team and the incredible performances from my teammates.”

Before stepping foot in France in the summer Scurfield’s next move had already been decided.

Signing with Premiership Women’s Rugby club Loughborough Lightning for the 2024/25 season, the 21-year-old has a new goal in sight.

With the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England less than a year away, the wing hopes to break into Kevin Rouet’s plans for the tournament and has already become one of the most exciting prospects in women's rugby.

The national team has enjoyed a mesmeric year. Jumping up to second in World Rugby’s rankings, beating New Zealand and going blow for blow with England in WXV 1, it is expected that the Canucks will be serious contenders in less than a year’s time.

One of numerous Canadians to have flocked to the league to play in the world’s premiere women’s competition, Scurfield is hoping that time in England will increase her knowledge of the game after spending the start of her career focused on the nuances of sevens after being fast-tracked from the University of British Columbia.

“I would love to play in the Rugby World Cup,” Scurfield said. “It is a massive tournament with the best players in the world. Being amongst that would be an incredible experience.

“Our 15s side in Canada have been growing every year, and to be a part of that would be a dream come true.

“Getting as many 15s games as I can under my belt is the way to do that. That is a big reason I am here for sure.”

In just a handful of appearances, Scurfield has shown a glimpse of what she could bring.

This could no more be seen than in her second appearance for Lightning, when the flyer unleashed her pure speed against Exeter Chiefs and dot down in the 40-19 loss.

But even in that display of world-class talent the wing was remembering the words of her coaches.

 

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