France removes Fiji out of the leading of the list, and claim the Rugby sevens Olympic gold

France won the gold medal in the rugby sevens at the boisterous Stade de France on Saturday and ended Fiji’s dominance of its Olympic competition.

July 27, 2024, 06:36 12:36

Jul 27, 2024, 02:36 PM ET

SAINT-DENIS France Seven minutes of a practice that will define his legacy. Antoine Dupont scored two scores and added another score to win the highly sought-after gold medal to France and bring an end to the reign of two-time the world’s champion, Fiji’s Olympic dominance in the game of sevens rugby.

One of the top players in the world of rugby, Dupont was saved for the second half of Saturday’s match by employing a technique that was flawless as he created momentum from his first touch to the ball. Dupont then guided France to an impressive victory that was 28-7.

The player who is a force to be reckoned with has chosen to not participate in the Six Nations tournament and switched his focus from the 15s format to sevens rugby format during the month of March in pursuit of the chance of a lifetime to earn the Olympic gold medal on the turf of his nation.

He can return to his spot as part of the French VIII, in the shape that of an Olympic winner, and at the very least, he can erase the hurt created by this Rugby World Cup disappointment on the home field during the tournament.

“Just an incredible award for us in the football field, and for the whole nation,” Dupont said. “We believed that we played rugby, but we represent the French sport as well.

“We are extremely happy to have launched this Olympics in this manner. “

The French team did not get the chance to participate in the prior Olympics in Tokyo however they were able to be the proud owner of their first medal in France’s history during the Paris Games. With Dupont as a member of the team, the French have won their first title on the world series of sevens for more than two decades. They also took home an impressive victory in the series’ final and added.

Fiji hasn’t lost a sevens rugby match during the Olympics over the span of 17 years and was able to take an unbeaten streak of seventeen games to the finals. Fiji was awash in the biggest sporting event ever after an uncharacteristically unpredictable performance at the international series.

“I acknowledge that the bar was extremely high for the athletes of 2016, and in 2020 but it’s not easy to take home the Olympic silver medal at the Olympics,” Fiji coach Osea Kolinisau told. “We were determined to keep this traditions … and it’s disappointing that we didn’t succeed. “

A match that was played between Dupont and Jerry Tuwai, the two-time Olympic gold medallist aswell as the champion of rugby Sevens during the decade was important.

The champions of the previous season won the game first and it was 7-7 when Dupont was playing after the half-time break.

He departed almost immediately on the left sideline in a long attack into Fiji’s third quarter and stopped Tuwai’s attempt to tackle by throwing the ball toward Aaron Grandidier Nkanang to give France the advantage by 14-7.

His two failed attempts are the cherry on the cake for the boisterous audience of 69,999.

The French’s win drew the attention of the nation which hosts the tournament, where rugby has been a source of pride, however it also caused some pain. French haven’t had the chance to win at their first Rugby World Cup in the 15-a-side format. This is the most prestigious event in the game.

This sport called sevens rugby is generally a shady spot next to 15s among the best athletes in the sport at least until Olympics and the constant shredding nature of the game and the loud music create an atmosphere of celebration the game.

The celebrations continued on the Stade de France, with spectators who were watching the tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz play doubles on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros in a rousing cheer, and waving their French flags. They then broke into a chant to “Allez, Les Bleus! “

The show continued for a while. The French sevens team took home their gold medals at top of the podium and then joined the other teams and danced in the court’s center.

South Africans win bronze

South Africa won the bronze medal despite allowing two scores late in the third-place match, and Shaun Williams making the most of a tense final minutes to beat Australia 26-19.

It was a tough match that was a challenge for South Africans, who also were crowned bronze winners at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 featured an advantage of one man taking over after Australian captain Nick Malouf got dismissed during the second quarter for a rash attack. The Australians were back with two goals to draw even, but were unable play the game to additional time.

New Zealand beat Ireland 17-7 to secure fifth place. Argentina beat Argentina 19-0, beating their U.S. men 19-0 in the seventh place playoff.