The win gave Fiji, a nation of only about 900,000 people, their first ever Olympic medal.
Advertisement
Fiji eventually won gold and Great Britain the silver medal.
It was harder when he didn’t get paid the first five months, when he realized the Fiji men’s rugby sevens team couldn’t afford gas for the team bus or even water to serve during practice.
Japan’s Yoshitaka Tokunaga, left, tackles Ro Dakuwuqa, during the semi final of the men’s rugby sevens match at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016.
“Internationally it is probably one of the most important moment’s in the sports history”.
Late on Thursday, their was more triumph for the U.S. as swimmer Michael Phelps claimed his 22nd Olympic gold medal and his fourth at the Rio Olympics by winning the men’s 200m individual medley for the fourth straight Games on Thursday.
The crushing win was but a continuation of the Fijians’ overwhelming dominance during this edition of the Games, as they triumphed over the United States 24-19 before decimating Japan 20-5 in the semi-finals.
“We set those goals, of winning in Hong Kong and winning gold here, had a bit of luck along the way. today was our day, we’re thankful and it’s the team really, the coach just blows and points his whistle”.
Bainimarama said the inclusion of rugby in the Olympics this year for the first time since 1924 had “propped up” smaller nations like his.
Looking beyond Rio, Beaumont added: “We will be trying like mad to retain our status (beyond Tokyo 2020)”. That echoed the Brave Blossoms’ famous victory over South Africa in the 15-a-side World Cup previous year, the biggest upset the sport has seen.
“It’s a fantastic achievement for rugby”, he said. “They’re all celebrating [in Fiji] – in fact they’ve been celebrating for the last three days”.
“They played some awesome rugby”.
“The island won’t be having parties in sporadic parts of country, it will be across the entire nation, 355 islands, and it will continue for some time”, he predicted.
“In the wash-up, there will be an assessment of how rugby performed, and there will be certain criteria around spectators, the game, the product, broadcast figures, and then the next meeting of the general assembly is in Lima, and that is when the decision will be made on whether we remain and become a core sport”.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama thanked the International Olympic Committee for including rugby sevens at the Rio Games. Just the way we wanted to play the game.
GB made wholesale changes at half-time and they plugged the Fijian dam…for all of four minutes, which by first-half standards was good, until Josua Tuisova went over after some brilliant Fijian interplay.
“That would be two sessions a day, each at 45,000”.
Advertisement
“We went into the finals with nothing to lose”.
