Celia Quansah is an English rugby sevens player who plays for Leicester Tigers Women. She was selected as a member of the Great Britain women’s national rugby sevens team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Born at Twickenham, England. Born to a Ghanaian father and English mother, Quansah grew up in Twickenham. She participated in athletics, winning the long jump event at the 2011 School Games, and represented England internationally in heptathlon, competing at the British Championships against Jessica Ennis-Hill. Whilst at university, she took up rugby. After playing for six months, she was invited to join the England Sevens programme for 2018/19, and played for the winning Great Britain team at the 2019 Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
She was selected as a member of the Great Britain women’s national rugby sevens team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. She was named in the England squad for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens – Women’s tournament held in Cape Town, South Africa in September 2022.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Celia Quansah – an exceptionally talented and accomplished English rugby sevens Olympic athlete. Here she talks about her fitness journey and the success story.
Namita Nayyar:
You were born in Twickenham, England. You participated in athletics, winning the long jump event at the 2011 School Games, and represented England internationally in heptathlon. While at university, took up rugby and after playing for six months, were invited to join the England Sevens programme for 2018-19, and played for the winning Great Britain team at the 2019 Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Olympic Qualifying Tournament. This later propelled your career to the height where you have been at the top of English women’s rugby. Tell us more about your professional journey of exceptional hard work, tenacity, and endurance?
Celia Quansah:
I’ve always loved sport, growing up I would try anything I had the opportunity to. At primary school I was introduced to sports like tag rugby, cricket and athletics. I think being exposed to sport at a young age developed the competitive nature in me and I got so much enjoyment from it, which never went away really.
I started playing rugby because I was desperate for a new challenge, and felt like I wasn’t going to unlock my full potential in Athletics, but I said to myself I was only going to do it if I was going to play for England, I wanted to be the best, so that was in my head from the moment I picked up a rugby ball. It was a steep learning curve being thrown into an international setup with very little rugby knowledge, so that took a lot of confidence and hard work.
I picked up a lot of niggles (injuries) early on, as my body wasn’t used to the demands of the new sport, but after a year or so I was able to play freely and had a good stint being injury free. That was when I really saw my progression accelerate and I found myself playing on the world stage in front of thousands of fans in some of the biggest stadiums around the world, which are moments I will never forget.
In 2021, at the top of my game post Tokyo Olympics, I ruptured my first ACL. This was my first ‘big’ injury and it was devastating. When it happened, I remember laying on the pitch while the physio assessed me, and counting ahead 9 months (the average time it takes to return from an ACL injury) which took me to a week before our first match at the Commonwealth Games.
In that moment I knew I was going to do everything I could to get myself back for that tournament. After talks with my medical team to discuss the risks, we decided we would throw the kitchen sink at it, and against the odds, I returned to playing after 7 months and was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. A dream comes true.
Unfortunately after a short 6 months back on the pitch, at the Cape Town HSBC World Series tournament, I was high tackled, and dislocated my other knee causing significant injuries including an ACL and MCL rupture and Meniscus tear. At first, my mindset was similar to my first ACL, ‘we go again’ I thought. But over time, this injury took its toll, I felt so hard done by and questioned a lot, why me? I struggled in a camp based program, to get the support I needed and wanted which affected me massively over time. I was however, extremely fortunate to have the support from external sources such as The RPA and The IRU.
After multiple scans, two surgeries, injections and countless physio and psychology sessions, I returned to playing on the HSBC World Series in February 2024 where I was able to start my journey back to loving rugby again. Still, 10 months later, I’m on that journey back to full confidence, full fitness and full enjoyment for the game, but I’m determined to get there.
Namita Nayyar:
It is a dream for a rugby player to play in the Olympics. You were selected as a member of the Great Britain women’s national rugby sevens team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Tell us more about this spectacular achievement of yours?
Celia Quansah:
Being an Olympian has always been my ultimate dream, it sounds silly but growing up I knew I was going to make it happen. I did think it was going to be in athletics, but life took me on a different path. A lot of rugby players actually dream of playing in a World Cup, rather than an Olympics as that has traditionally been the ‘pinnacle’. However for me, the Olympics were always my dream and it still feels strange to be able to say I’ve achieved it.
Like anything, it becomes normal over time, but it’s really lovely when people remind you of how special it really is. When you’re in the elite sport bubble, things that aren’t that normal become normal, like being an Olympian? Haha. I am so, so grateful for the coaches who took a chance on me as a 21 year old heptathlete, and in 4 years, nurtured me into a player worthy of an Olympic shirt. It really was one of the best experiences of my life.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President of womenfitness.net, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or in full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2025 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
You must have a Coach who has been a catalyst who helped you pave the way to rise in your career with discipline and a never stopping attitude. Elaborate about his/her influence on your professional life?
Celia Quansah:
Yes, James Bailey. He was my first head coach in the England 7s program. He was the one who took a chance on me when I was just a heptathlete that wanted to give rugby a go. He is someone who has patience, empathy and incredible knowledge on the game, and as my coach, he really knew how to get the best out of me.
There is one moment that will never leave me – I’d been in the program for about a year at this point, but we were chatting and he said to me, the reason we chose you wasn’t because of your physical ability, it was because of your mental resilience to keep going (in a fitness test where I was running and throwing up at the same time because I told myself I couldn’t stop). He said, ‘we can teach fitness, but we can’t teach someone to have that strong mindset’. And that has stuck with me every day since. I’ve had the privilege to work with Bails throughout my career as we’ve both transitioned into different roles within rugby.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Celia Quansah:
As rugby players we do a lot of strength work in the gym, usually split into, one lower body (squats, hip thrusts, RDL’s etc.) one upper body (Chin ups, shoulder press, bench press etc.) and one full body/power (Power clean, plyometric, jammer press etc.). We also incorporate core and neck strength too which is important for contact sports.
Fitness wise, we get a lot of our conditioning from our on-field rugby sessions which involve a lot of running (around 6K a session) and we top up our aerobic and anaerobic conditioning through off feet sessions on the Watt bike.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you train your abs? One secret to your toned body.
Celia Quansah:
Sadly there are no secrets to a toned body (I wish there were!) but realistically it’s about consistency and a balanced diet. One thing I would say though, is find exercise you enjoy and make you feel good. If you dread what you do, eventually you just won’t do it.
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take a special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Celia Quansah:
No, I don’t have any special diets. Over the years I’ve learnt to understand what works for me and I know what I need to eat to fuel myself for my sport. People always think I must be on a strict diet or that I get told what I can and can’t eat, but the reality is, I eat what I want in moderation and with my sporting goals in mind. Simply put, on a heavy training day, I’ll eat more, more carbs, more protein and on a recovery day, I’ll typically eat less, because I’m not exerting as much energy.
Namita Nayyar:
Five foods you absolutely love and five you keep to a minimum.
Celia Quansah:
Pasta, Sushi, Coffee, Chicken, Chocolate. I still eat these things but I try to keep anything super sugary and fast food to a minimum.
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your haircare and skincare routine.
Celia Quansah:
I mix it up with the brands I use, but I typically cleanse morning and night or after a workout, use a toner, SPF moisturizer, eye cream and serum. My most used brands at the moment are Fenty beauty, Clinique, and Inky list.
My hair routine is a lot haha, I usually wash my hair once a week, I cleanse my roots, condition thoroughly and comb it through my hair while its wet and then put a hair mask in. While it’s wet, I use a leave in conditioner, curl cream, gel and oil and rake it through my hair with my hands. I always use my microfiber towel and then diffuse and try to remember to sleep with a bonnet or satin pillow case, which I fail at quite often (oops). My favourite brands at the moment are, Kurl Kitchen, Boucleme and Shea Moisture.
Namita Nayyar:
Five athletic leisure brands you love to wear.
Celia Quansah:
Lululemon, Tala, Adidas, Nike, and New balance.
Namita Nayyar:
Five travel destinations on your wish list.
Celia Quansah:
Australia, New Zealand, New York, Bali, and Ghana.
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding Rugby Playing girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of playing Rugby?
Celia Quansah:
Things won’t always happen the way you want them to, but always keep perspective, you can always find positives in a bad situation, so find them and focus on them. It really is all about the journey, you don’t want to look back and wish you’d allowed yourself to enjoy a little more. And remember, the negative moments in your life will shape you into a stronger, more resilient version of yourself. Keep going and don’t forget to smile.
Namita Nayyar:
In sports like Rugby how were you able to overcome any physical or sports injury setbacks and what advice can you give to those in a similar situation?
Celia Quansah:
Injuries can be really tough and take a lot of mental resilience. I think it’s important to have a good support network around you, whether that be physios, friends or a psychologist that you can lean on when things get tough. Goal setting was a great tool for me during my time injured, I really struggled with motivation especially with my second knee injury so having small, realistic but challenging goals helped to keep my motivation up.
I’d also say it’s really important that you have other things going on aside from rehab. I wasn’t very good at this and my day-to-day life completely revolved around rehab which eventually made me resent it. Make sure you set aside time to see friends, or do things you love that aren’t anything to do with your injury or your sport. Finally, just remember that it does get better, when you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see an end, but keep celebrating the small wins which will help you to see your progression, big or small.
Namita Nayyar:
Quote you live by.
Celia Quansah:
Be kind, always.
Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about a day in the life of ‘Celia Quansah’.
Celia Quansah:
I’m very fortunate to be a full time rugby player and I also work for a consultancy company (B5 Consultancy). A typical day in the life would consist of, morning coffee and breakfast, some work on my laptop before I make lunch and prepare dinner for post training.
I head to training at Leicester Tigers, arriving around 2pm, usually do some more work and then head to the gym, followed by a skills session and then rugby. I usually get home late, so it’s helpful having my dinner made ready to eat post training. I’m really lucky to have a great work/life balance which allows me to spend time with friends and family as well as fit in work and training.
Celia Quansah Social Media Presence
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiaamy/
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President of womenfitness.net, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or in full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2025 Women Fitness