Olympic gold 'greatest moment in my career' - Hayes

Emma Hayes said winning Olympic shot golden pinch nan United States was "the top moment" of her career.

The 47-year-old led nan USA to a 1-0 triumph complete Brazil and their first women's shot golden since 2012.

Victory astatine nan Parc des Princes came conscionable 84 days aft Hayes won nan Women's Super League title pinch Chelsea, nan squad she managed for 12 years, achieving awesome success.

She had conscionable 4 warm-up games successful her caller occupation to hole for Paris 2024, pinch fewer talking astir nan USA arsenic superior contenders for nan golden medal.

"Chelsea has been my love," she said. "Every trophy I won pinch that nine is beloved to me.

"But this professionally is astir apt overmuch bigger than thing other I person ever done."

The USA - who were World Cup winners successful 2015 and 2019 - had suffered a dip successful fortunes during caller years.

At past year's World Cup, they suffered a daze early exit successful nan past 16 astatine nan hands of Sweden and subsequently dropped to 5th successful nan Fifa rankings.

When Hayes near Chelsea and ended a 12-year tenure successful which she won 14 trophies, she told BBC Sport she was doing truthful to return connected "the biggest occupation successful women's football".

She ever believed this squad had nan imaginable to triumph golden successful Paris.

"I conscionable woke that beast up again," Hayes said.

"I'm utilized to being successful finals, I'm utilized to competing for trophies, and truthful is nan US women's nationalist team. The mentality is why I emotion nan country, it's why I americium made for it."

When nan last whistle blew, Hayes was flooded pinch emotion arsenic she embraced her unit connected nan touchline earlier jumping up and down successful ceremony pinch her players.

Throughout nan tournament, Hayes has often recalled watching nan 2012 Olympic women's shot last pinch her precocious father, Sid, who told her 1 time she would beryllium nan 1 starring nan US to Olympic glory.

"It's been a unsmooth year," Hayes said. "This clip past twelvemonth my dada was dying. I didn't deliberation I had nan courageousness to travel and do this.

"This squad person embraced maine and welcomed maine into their family and allowed my to lead them."

Hayes was spotted connected camera kissing her necklace and pointing to nan entity astatine full-time successful tribute to her father, who died past September.

"It's an American eagle and it's my father's," she said. "I deliberation it's truthful fitting my dada gave maine his American eagle necklace. That was for my dad.

"I felt him pinch maine nan full performance. I conscionable had a infinitesimal to myself to punctual myself of what I've been done successful my life, my career, and to show gratitude to my parents - nan group that matter nan most."