The date is August 8, 2026.

Shannon Parry was jogging one morning when she saw young girls playing rugby.

The girls were about eight years old and playing at a primary school.

Parry was the co-captain of Australia's women's rugby sevens team at the 2016 Olympics.

Parry started playing rugby when she was 18 because there were no opportunities when she was younger.

Seeing the young girls play had a big impact on Parry and made her realize the importance of her team's achievement.

Parry said, 'I was like, Wow.'

The girls have opportunities to play rugby because of what Parry's team did.

It was special for Parry.

Shannon Parry was Australia's co-captain at the Rio Olympics.

August 8 marks the 10th anniversary of Australia's win in Rio.

Shannon Parry says the Olympic gold medal was a victory for women's sport.

It's hard to measure the impact of the win.

Some Australian players were inspired by the Rio gold medal to play rugby.

Bella Nasser said she didn't think of rugby as a women's sport until then.

Piper Duck thought women weren't allowed to play rugby before.

Australia's win inspired many girls to play rugby.

Parry is happy to know that players like Nasser and Duck look up to her team.

The players now have idols to look up to.

The 2016 team had a small impact on getting girls to try rugby.

Developing a world-class program was key.

Australia's win didn't happen by chance.

Rugby Australia started planning in 2012 with talent identification camps.

Some players joined the sevens program from other sports like rugby league and athletics.

Less than four years before the Rio Olympics, some players had never played rugby.

Rugby Australia decided to centralize the program in Sydney in 2014.

Twenty-one players got full-time contracts and trained at the Sydney Academy of Sport.

The Australian squad trained in Sydney.

Parry had played for Australia, but she also had a job.

Taking a one-year contract was a big risk.

Parry was a teacher and had to juggle rugby with her job.

The players were told to go full-time and move to Sydney.

They were like, 'OK.'

Shannon Parry played for Australia and the Wallaroos.

Parry was one of the few players with a rugby background.

Emilee Barton was new to rugby and came from a touch football background.

Barton played every sport as a child and loved it.

Barton started playing rugby in 2012 and made her Australian debut.

Becoming a full-time rugby player helped Barton's career.

Barton was named the Women's Sevens Player of the Year in 2014.

Rugby Australia invested in the players, which was empowering.

The players wanted to show they could create a world-class program.

Rugby Australia made another important decision.

Appointing Tim Walsh as coach in 2013 was a good move.

Walsh had played rugby and coached before.

Walsh had a strong will to win.

Walsh kicked a field goal to win a game against New Zealand in 1988.

Tim Walsh played rugby for Australia.

Walsh wanted the Australian team to achieve dominance and success.

The task was challenging, but Walsh was confident.

Australia had finished fifth in the inaugural Women's Sevens World Series.

New Zealand won the competition, and Australia exited at the quarterfinal stage.

New Zealand was the team to beat.

Australia made progress in the 2013/14 World Series.

Australia won a tournament in Dubai, beating New Zealand.

Eight players from the Dubai squad played in the Rio Olympics.

The win in Dubai gave Australia confidence.

Australia won two more tournaments and finished second in the World Series.

The team was on the right track.

Australia's victory in London was a turning point.

Australia finished third in the World Series, but its rivals took notice.

The momentum shifted in 2015.

Australia beat New Zealand in the London semifinal.

The team played well, and Chloe Dalton kicked a great goal.

Every aspect of the game was covered.

That was the shift in power.

Australia was the team to beat.

By 2015/16, Australia's decision to go full-time was paying off.

The squad had become professional and developed a ruthless attitude.

The results improved, and Australia won the World Series.

Australia was undefeated against New Zealand.

The team had a strong belief in itself.

Nothing could stop them.

Even a loss to Canada was just a hiccup.

Australia beat New Zealand in the semis and Canada in the final.

The team was ready for the Olympics.

Ellia Green starred in the 2015/2016 campaign.

Australia was the gold medal favorite in Rio.

The team didn't talk about being the favorite.

They wanted to be humble and focus on themselves.

They analyzed other teams but focused on their own game.

Favoritism sat comfortably with Walsh.

He owned it and addressed it with the team.

The Olympic campaign began.

The team had visited Rio before the Olympics.

Shannon Parry was co-captain with Sharni Williams.

The team had a strong squad with players like Nicole Beck and Emilee Barton.

In 2015, the team visited the Olympic site.

The players got to experience the surroundings before the Games.

Walsh had ways to get the players to visualize their success.

The team lay on the ground, looked at the sky, and imagined winning.

Walsh said they would win the gold medal.

The team was in Group A with Fiji, the US, and Colombia.

Australia dominated the group stage, beating Colombia and Fiji.

The team drew with the US but topped the group.

Charlotte Caslick's tackle on Victoria Folayan was an iconic moment.

The team was ready for the knockout stages.

Australia beat Spain in the quarterfinals and Canada in the semis.

Ellia Green scored a try against Spain.

New Zealand reached the final, beating the US and Great Britain.

New Zealand coach Sean Horan questioned Australia's toughness.

The comment motivated Australia.

Walsh used it as extra motivation.

The team had a ritual before each game, singing 'Chicken Fried' by Zac Brown Band.

The song got them ready to play.

The final against New Zealand was intense.

Australia trailed early but leveled the score.

Emma Verran scored Australia's first try.

The team was focused and ready to play.

Walsh told the team to get the gold medal hanging from the crossbar.

The team was confident and not losing.

Australia scored two tries in the second half and led 24-5.

New Zealand scored two late tries, but Australia won 24-17.

The team celebrated their historic win.

Parry came off the field with three minutes to go and felt the longest two minutes of her life.

The team was ecstatic and had achieved their goal.

Walsh didn't celebrate until the final whistle.

The New Zealand players were emotional and sad.

Barton felt it was fitting to meet New Zealand in the final.

The win was incredible and had a lasting impact.

Walsh gets goosebumps thinking about the impact of the win.

The gold medal sparked growth in women's rugby and changed perceptions.

Walsh's son asked if boys played rugby too, which was a light-bulb moment.

Australia is the current world champion in women's sevens.

Walsh is still involved in women's rugby and recently coached Australia to the World Championship.

Barton retired in 2021 and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

Parry is the Queensland Sevens head coach and worked with the Reds.

Parry sees the impact of the Rio win up close and is happy to have inspired girls to play rugby.

The win has had a lasting impact on women's sport and given it the recognition it deserves.