GB aim for fifth place after medal hopes dashed

Great Britain’s hopes of winning a women’s flag football medal on their World Games debut were dashed as they lost to Austria on Saturday.

Austria are ranked fourth in the world and claimed a 40-28 win in the quarter-finals against GB, ranked just behind them in fifth.

GB are now out of medal contention in Chengdu but the European champions went on to play a ranking game against Italy later on Saturday.

The British beat Italy in their group opener on Thursday and although this time Italy forced overtime, GB still managed to clinch a 35-28 win.

They will now face hosts China on Sunday for the chance to clinch a fifth-placed finish in their first appearance at the World Games.

The tournament is seen as crucial for the GB team’s development before flag football makes its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.

It is a global multi-sport event showcasing sports not currently on the Olympic programme, and GB qualified for the first time after securing seventh place at last year’s Flag Football World Championships.

GB scored four touchdowns in their first game on Saturday but were always playing catch up after two early scores by Austria, who finished with six touchdowns.

Austria led 27-14 half-time and stayed clear in the second half, with Emily Kemp scoring all four of GB’s touchdowns – one rushing and three from passes by quarterback Jessica Allen.

GB trailed 21-14 at half-time against Italy and fought back to lead before a late Italy touchdown took the game to overtime.

Austria went on to face USA in the semi-finals, with the world champions having beaten Italy 33-12 in the quarters.

And the Americans had to fight back before clinching a thrilling 46-39 win at the death.

On the other side of the draw, Canada progressed to the semi-finals by beating Japan 32-27 while Mexico enjoyed a 40-0 win over China.

Mexico then secured a 25-13 victory over Canada to set up a repeat of the 2022 final, when they shocked USA by winning 39-6 in Birmingham, Alabama.