Canada falls to New Zealand in rugby 7s, takes silver

The Canadian women's rugby sevens team's Cinderella run came to an end Tuesday with a loss to defending Olympic champion New Zealand in the gold medal match.

Canada led at halftime in front of a large crowd inside the Stade de France, but the New Zealanders scored two second-half tries to cement a 19-12 win and retain the title they won in Tokyo.

Silver is Canada's best-ever result in the event. The nation's previous peak came at Rio 2016 with the women's bronze.

Canada's improbable run to the final included upsets of France in the quarterfinals and world sevens series champion Australia in the semis.

The United States women won their first-ever rugby sevens medal by upsetting Australia on a dramatic last-second try.