Only a few months after making the move to rugby sevens, former sprinter Trae Williams has his sights set on taking on the world's fastest rugby player at the 2020 Olympics.

Williams’ move to rugby in May drew the attention of USA’s Carlin Isles, who was unimpressed that his title as the fastest man in rugby had come into question. Isles took to Twitter in May to say, "I’m not losing no race period! Fastest forever!"

Australian sprinter Trae Williams has made the switch from athletics to sevens and could be the fastest rugby player in the world.Credit:Brendan Hertel Photography

But at a training session on Friday, Williams, known as "Quadzilla",  was unfazed by the competition and said the attention was "a bit weird to be honest … you don’t really get much like that in athletics".

"[I’m] looking forward to one-on-one for sure," he said. "[Perry] Baker and [Carlin] Isle are the two speedsters out there at the moment, so hopefully I get to tee up against those guys and show them what we can do."

But before Williams gets his chance at taking on the speedsters in Toyko, he’s got to brush up on his teamwork, ball skills and make it through the Olympic Qualifiers.

"It’s a very big difference, usually being out there by myself on track, just focusing on me," Williams said. "But now, there are six other boys on the field so it’s not just about yourself anymore, it’s about helping the other boys out as well."

The coaching team have spent the last few weeks helping the sprinter improve his skills, which Williams said are "slowly getting there". He's even had a masterclass from Steve Kefu.

"It’s been really good, just adjusting to the game and the boys have been really helpful in telling me what to do and where to be, if I am doing something wrong on the field."

Joining Williams as a newcomer in the sevens squad is one-Test Wallabies speedster Rod Davies, who has signed a two-year deal with team in an attempt to become an Olympian.

Fiji and New Zealand have already qualified for Tokyo after their top-four finishes in the 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series. While their absence in the Oceania Olympic Qualifiers is good news for the Australian team, the threat of the Samoa remains.

The 2019 Oceania Sevens Championship will be held from November 7-9 in Suva, Fiji.

Source: Read Full Article