FLEMING Deborah

10 Jun 1991
30
Female
1.72/5'7''
PENZANCE
 
Great Britain
LONDON
 
Great Britain

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
RUG Rugby Sevens Women 4

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Tokyo Stadium
ROC
ROC
12
GBR
Great Britain
14
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
NZL
New Zealand
26
GBR
Great Britain
21
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
GBR
Great Britain
31
KEN
Kenya
0
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
USA
United States
12
GBR
Great Britain
21
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
GBR
Great Britain
19
FRA
France
26
Finished
Tokyo Stadium
FIJ
Fiji
21
GBR
Great Britain
12
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Rugby World Cup Sevens
RankEventYearLocation
9Women2018San Francisco, CA, USA

World Rugby Sevens Series
RankEventYearLocation
6Women2019
8Women2020
8Women2018
8Women2016/2017

World Rugby Sevens Series - Australia
RankEventYearLocation
6Women2020Sydney, NSW, AUS
9Women2019Sydney, NSW, AUS
9Women2018Sydney, NSW, AUS

World Rugby Sevens Series - Canada
RankEventYearLocation
6Women2019Langford, BC, CAN
7Women2018Langford, BC, CAN
8Women2017Langford, BC, CAN

World Rugby Sevens Series - Dubai
RankEventYearLocation
4Women2016Dubai, UAE
6Women2018Dubai, UAE
8Women2017Dubai, UAE
9Women2019Glendale, CO, USA

World Rugby Sevens Series - France
RankEventYearLocation
8Women2018Paris, FRA
10Women2019Biarritz, FRA
12Women2017Clermont-Ferrand, FRA

World Rugby Sevens Series - Japan
RankEventYearLocation
6Women2017Kitakyushu, JPN
7Women2018Kitakyushu, JPN

World Rugby Sevens Series - USA
RankEventYearLocation
8Women2018Glendale, CO, USA
9Women2019Glendale, CO, USA
10Women2017Las Vegas, NV, USA
:
Supporting English rugby union [15-a-side] team Cornish Pirates. (sportstravelsouthwest.co.uk, 05 Jun 2018)
:
Athlete, Manager
:
Sports Science - University of Bath, Great Britain
:
Husband Matt Wills
:
English
:
Scott Forrest [national], GBR
:
Forward (ultimaterugby.com, 13 Jul 2018)
:
She has played rugby union [15-a-side] in the English Premier 15s for Saracens and Bristol Bears. She has also competed at national level in athletics. She competed in the 100m at the 2011 UK U23 Championships in Bedford, England. (rugby-addict.com, 17 Feb 2021; pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020; uksport.gov.uk, 01 Jan 2017; worldathletics.org, 25 Jun 2011)
:
In 2013 she dislocated her knee and ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament [ACL]. She returned to playing rugby union [15-a-side] for Bristol Bears in September 2014. (pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020)
:
She began playing rugby at age 21, having previously competed in athletics and netball at school and university. (saracens.com, 08 Oct 2020, 08 Sep 2020; ultimaterugby.com, 13 Jul 2018)
:
After deciding to stop competing in athletics, she applied to the UK Sport talent transfer programme, Power2Podium, which recruits talented athletes from other sports and places them in sports such as rugby sevens. "I wasn't as good as I wanted to be at athletics. I wanted to be elite so, I'm praying as I filled it the application out. 'Okay God, fine, if you want me to be professional in something, do something with this'." (pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020; thescrum.aedelhard.com, 28 May 2020; uksport.gov.uk, 01 Jan 2017)
:
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020)
:
Competing at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russian Federation and winning bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. (pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020; therpa.co.uk, 01 Sep 2018)
:
US athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, British athletes Kelly Holmes and Dwain Chambers, US tennis player Serena Williams. (pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020; sportstravelsouthwest.co.uk, 05 Jun 2018)
:
Her parents. (therpa.co.uk, 01 Sep 2018)
:
"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." (alleyns.org.uk, 20 Nov 2020)

General Interest

General
OCCUPATION
After the Rugby Football Union [RFU] terminated the contracts of the England rugby sevens players in 2020, she took up a full-time job as the general manager of a gym business group. "I recognise the challenges of going into full-time employment and how that is going to have a large impact on my training ability and the kinds of sessions I can get done, but I think everybody recognises that you have to pay bills. For me, it was like heartache, I had heartache about the Olympics being postponed. I had a heartache because you have to realise you may not be selected and that I may not be able to maintain the fitness, strength, power, speed and skill set to contend anymore for a position because I am going to be working full-time." She has also previously worked as a recruitment consultant and as a fashion store manager for Abercrombie and Fitch. (LinkedIn profile, 23 Apr 2021; pace-zine.com, 01 Sep 2020; telegraph.co.uk, 04 Aug 2020)

SARACENS RETURN
In 2020 she signed for English Premier 15s rugby union [15-a-side] side Saracens, four years after she left the club to concentrate on rugby sevens with England. "I'm a bit anxious about how it's going to go for me on the pitch having switched from sevens to 15s but I'm so excited to be back with my Sarries family. I enjoyed my time here previously and that's why they were top of my list and always will be. I love the culture, I love the facilities and I really love the team." She also played rugby union [15-a-side] for Bristol Bears, before leaving in 2015 to join Saracens for the first time. (saracens.com, 08 Oct 2020; 08 Sep 2020)

FATHERLY INSPIRATION
Her father Charles Fleming served as her personal athletics coach as a child and she believes he helped inspire her sports career. "I was very fortunate to do athletics as a kid and my dad was a great coach and someone who really inspired me. We spent a lot of time running on the sand dunes, and doing tyre runs up hills with dad driving alongside me in the car and encouraging me step by step." (therpa.co.uk, 01 Sep 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as a Rugby Players Association [RPA] player representative for the England women's rugby sevens team, a position she was voted into by her teammates. "I want the women's game to be represented at the highest level of the sport and to have our voices heard loud and clear." She is also a qualified kettle bell instructor and personal trainer. (LinkedIn profile, 23 Apr 2021; therpa.co.uk, 01 Sep 2018)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos