With seven Chelsea stars involved at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, we reflect upon some of the others in our squad who can call themselves an Olympian…
This summer, Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Mayra Ramirez, Sandy Baltimore, Eve Perisset, Sjoeke Nusken, and Maika Hamano will represent their respective nations on the iconic international stage.
For that group, the road to glory begins today (Thursday) with the first round of group stage fixtures kicking off at 4pm.
And as our Blues begin their campaigns across France, with seven cities across the country hosting the women’s football event, we have looked back on previous games where current Chelsea stars featured…
What better place to start than London 2012 – and with our new head coach Sonia Bompastor and assistant Camille Abily.
Both featured at what was France’s first appearance in the women’s football event. They would go on to finish fourth after losing to Canada in the bronze medal match which was played in Coventry.
Four years later in 2016, Abily represented Les Bleues at her second Olympics, with Bompastor having ended her illustrious playing career three years prior. A number of current Blues would also feature in Brazil, with some even scooping medals.
Making their Olympics debut would be Buchanan and Lawrence of Canada, while Sam Kerr also made her bow on the same stage, representing Australia.
There would be a clash of the soon-to-be Blues in the group stages as Canada lined up against the Matildas. It was Buchanan and Lawrence who claimed bragging rights after winning 2-0, but both countries went on to reach the knock-outs.
Kerr’s Australia exited the competition after losing to Brazil on penalties in the quarter-final, while our Canadian duo went on to claim a bronze medal after beating the same South American opponents in the third-place play-off.
It was back-to-back bronze medals for Canada, who won the same prize at London 2012, and Lawrence played her part in that 2-1 victory over Brazil as she assisted the opening goal.
There was plenty of Chelsea representation at the delayed games in Tokyo in 2021 with nine of our current players in action for their respective countries.
It proved to be a very different edition of the games due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Athletes donned masks. Isolation protocols were followed. Spectators could only watch on from televisions in homes around the globe.
Great Britain returned for the tournament in Japan for the first time since hosting the games in 2012, with Millie Bright and Sophie Ingle – named as a co-captain – selected. Niamh Charles was named as a travelling reserve.
In the same group as Great Britain was Canada, who again had Buchanan and Lawrence in their ranks. Meanwhile, Australia were skippered by Kerr as they faced Zecira Musovic and Nathalie Bjorn’s Sweden and the USA, who selected Catarina Macario, in the group stages.
There were several battles between Blues in the knock-out rounds, too, as Kerr and the Matildas knocked out GB in the quarter-finals, but the Aussies would miss out on the chance to play for gold medal after losing to the Swedes in the semi-final.
Although Canada beat the USA in the other last-four clash, Macario and her team-mates could still add to America’s impressive medal haul in this event, as they faced Kerr’s Australia in the third-place play-off.
And it would be the former who claimed bronze as the United States secured a sixth medal in seven appearances at the Olympics.
Now to the main event, the gold medal clash: Sweden v Canada. A battle of the 2016 silver and bronze medalists. Who would claim that elusive gold medal?
Defender Bjorn started for Sweden while Blues goalkeeper Musovic was named on the bench. As they had done throughout the tournament, Buchanan and Lawrence also featured from the start for Canada.
It was advantage Sweden after 34 minutes before former Chelsea midfielder Jessie Fleming leveled the game through a penalty in the 67th minute.
And it was from spot that the game was decided following a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Canada prevailed 3-2 winners on penalties, claiming a first-ever gold medal in women’s football at the Olympics.
Will they defend their title in Paris or will another Blue write their name into the Olympic history books? We will have to watch on and see…
Good luck, to all our Blues!