Pictures: Phillip Castleton
When the Black Ferns Sevens sealed their thrilling victory against Canada to take home Olympic gold, rugby legend Tyla King (née Nathan-Wong) raced off the field into the arms of the cheer squad of family and friends who had joined her in Paris to celebrate her final tournament in the black jersey.
“It was the fairytale ending I had dreamed of and a perfect way to end my 13-year career with the team,” smiles Tyla, 30, who retired from sevens after the Games.
She admits she felt both joy and relief after the match, having battled a muscle haematoma in her quad throughout the tournament.
Knowing it would be the last few times she would don the black jersey, Tyla felt determined to “leave everything out there” in the sweltering Paris heat.
“I just pushed through the pain and gave it my all,” says the sporting star. She’s the Black Ferns Sevens’ most capped player.
One special person unable to join Tyla for the milestone moment in Paris was her husband, waka ama champion Tupuria King. He was competing at the outrigger canoe sprint world champs in Hawai’i at the same time.
“Tupu had a fantastic competition too, winning three silver medals. When we got home, though, I joked my gold medal still gave me bragging rights in the house!” laughs Tyla.
The sevens gold kickstarted the New Zealand Olympic team’s medal tally. However, there was little time for celebrating with the rest of the Kiwi athletes. Tyla and around half the Black Ferns Sevens team were on a plane back home the day after the final.
Tyla, who is of Ngāpuhi, Chinese and Pākehā descent, was excited to get home to see 31-year-old Tupu (Ngāpuhi, Tainui) during a brief three-day stopover, before jetting off to Sydney to join the St George Illawarra for the National Women’s Rugby League competition.
“Tupu was working 12-hour shifts when I got back, so we didn’t have much time together,” reveals Tyla. “This year’s been insane. We’ve only spent about a week together over the past three months!”
Luckily, the Bay of Plenty couple is used to the demands of professional sport and frequent separations. Their “whirlwind” year kicked off with a magical wedding in January, near the shores of Lake Karāpiro, which they shared with Woman’s Day.
They haven’t had time to squeeze in a honeymoon yet. However, they are planning to head off to a sunny Pacific island over the summer, shares Tyla.
“We’re really excited about our honeymoon and looking forward to having some downtime at home too, as well as heading to Auckland and the Far North to visit family.”
As Tyla looks back on her glittering sevens career, there seems to be little she hasn’t achieved. In addition to her two Olympic golds and one silver medal, she’s bagged two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles, plus the Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medals.
In 2023, she was named World Sevens Rugby Player of the Year. She’s also currently the highest points scorer in the history of the Women’s Sevens Series.
Although retired from sevens, Tyla isn’t hanging up her boots just yet. She has switched codes to rugby league. She describes her feelings about being back in Sydney for her second season with St George Illawarra as being “like a kid in a candy store”.
“I was in a little bit of a slump before giving league a go last year. But, being in a new and exciting learning environment has brought my energy and joy back,” Tyla grins. “I grew up in a league family.
It was the first sport I played when I was six years old. I’m so happy to be back with the team in Sydney again.”
Tyla’s sporting journey hasn’t always been smooth. Her trademark self-belief, drive and determination are motivated by a series of knockbacks she received as a young athlete.
“I played a whole lot of different sports as a kid,” she reveals. “But coaches never picked me for rugby rep teams. They told me I was too short or not big enough, even though I had the skillset. I learnt early on if they were not going to believe in me, it was up to me to believe in myself.”
When Tyla chats to us from Sydney, she’s recovering from a concussion. Coincidentally, that’s is the subject of the thesis she’ll write next year for her Master of Health Sciences studies.
“There’s not a lot of research into how concussion affects female athletes. It’s so important, especially in contact sports, that we have a good knowledge base around it,” she says. “I’ve had a few concussions during my career, and I’ve learnt the importance of being honest with how I’m feeling and not rushing back too early.”
As one chapter ends and another begins on Tyla’s illustrious sporting career, she’s also tentatively looking at future off-field options.
“I enjoy coaching and giving back to the next generation. I could see myself coaching or teaching PE in the future,” she tells. “I’m also doing a bit of public speaking and enjoy doing media stuff too.”
Then there’s the question of starting a family.
“It’s definitely something Tupu and I talk about – we’d love to have children one day,” Tyla smiles. “In the meantime, we’ll just keep loving our nieces and nephews!”
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