Kelsie_Thwaites
Kelsie Thwaites
New Zealand beach volleyball player
Kelsie Thwaites (née Wills; born 8 January 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player. She previously represented New Zealand in Beach volleyball before switching to rugby.[1]
| Date of birth | (1993-01-08) 8 January 1993 (age 31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Thwaites completed an indoor volleyball scholarship in the United States, and played professionally in Paris.[1]
Thwaites and playing partner Shaunna Polley represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[2][3] They were the nation's first women's beach volleyball team to compete at the Games.[2][3] The pair won a bronze medal at the Ulsan Open in South Korea on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.[3]
Thwaites made a switch to rugby union in 2019.[1] She made the Bay of Plenty Volcanix squad in her debut year for the Farah Palmer Cup.[4][5] She wore the black jersey for the first time in two non-test matches against the NZ Barbarians in 2020.[2] She made her international debut for the Black Ferns against England on 31 October 2021 at Exeter.[6][2]
Thwaites was named in the Chiefs Manawa squad for the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season.[7]
- Macfarlane, Kristin (13 April 2019). "Why Kelsie Wills is focusing on rugby in 2019". NZ Herald. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- Chapman, Grant; Chapman, Alex (30 October 2021). "Black Ferns v England: Nine debutants named for 100th test, World Cup final rematch". Newshub. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- "First NZ women's beach volleyball team to compete at Commonwealth Games". Stuff.co.nz. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- Standley, Ashley (3 September 2020). "Kiwi beach volleyball star Kelsie Wills' rugby switch pays off". Stuff. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Black Ferns v England: Nine debutants named for 100th test, World Cup final rematch". Newshub. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Black Ferns name four debutants in starting XV for historic test". Otago Daily Times Online News. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- "Waitomo Chiefs Manawa Squad Announced". Chiefs. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- Black Ferns Profile
- Chiefs Manawa Profile
- Kelsie Thwaites at the FIVB beach volleyball database
- Kelsie Thwaites at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
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