The Australian women’s rugby sevens gold medallists showcased a modern image of a strength and inspiration.

So often in elite sport we marvel at the near super-human body shapes and characteristics of athletes achieving the near-unbelievable.

Think American legend Michael Phelps, a man built for the pool with his long flipper-like feet, incredible arm span and strong torso. Phelps scientific proven to produce less than half the lactic acid that his rivals do.

He trains hard, is fiercely determined but also physically superior with a quick recovery to capitalise on – and he is amazing to watch.

World’s fastest man on land Usain Bolt will be in action on the track this week. The Jamaican oozes incredible star power he backs up every time on the big stage.

We still have an impressive array of female athletes, Australian athletes, finely-tuned for their sports from a young age and inspiring in traditional Olympic arenas.

The Pearls are the first time Australian women, pieced together from different backgrounds, have been shown in such a prominent fashion for a full contact sport. And they did so in such a powerfully feminine fashion.

Watch Charlotte Caslick lay a tackle, be back on her feet faster than any opponent and flick her braids, brushing off the move business-like then try and disagree with that.

The Pearls’ story is a motivational tale of Rocky or Mighty Ducks proportions, only real.

Australian Rugby Union poured money into building a women’s team from scratch when sevens was added to the Rio Games. Most players were recruited from touch football. Barely any knew how to tackle.

The field is the same size as regular rugby, with half as many players on field. Play is faster, a more open athletic spectacle that is easier to digest for those less-familiar with rugby, enticing a whole new legion of fans.

Adding in a star sprinter like Ellia Green brought another dimension to the Pearls’ journey. Green grew up wanting to race 100 metres on the track at an Olympics but was prepared to accept a different sporting challenge.

The Pearls set their focus on gold. They were hungry to finish what had been a three-year mission to learn the sport they set out to conquer. 

For generations, women have been discouraged from heavily male-dominated sports. The Pearls broke through a lot of old attitudes. They hit hard and tackled.

Rugby sevens has shaken up an evolving women’s sporting landscape a little more, in a good way.

Olympic Games undoubtedly inspire so many people to pick up an old sport they enjoyed or try a new one they have enjoyed watching. Children across the world start to dream what could be possible.

Hopefully lots of young girls watched the Pearls closely. Girls like the new under-12s in the Ballarat Football League learning Aussie Rules.

Girls who will grow up into women believing they can play in any sporting arena they like in powerful, Pearl-like fashion.