The pacific islands have claimed their first medal at the Olympics following a silver medal podium finish for the Fiji men’s Sevens team.
Fiji sevens have narrowly missed out on an Olympic gold medal three-peat after going down to host nations France in the finals matchup early Sunday morning NZ time.
The loss is the first ever loss recorded for Fiji in Olympic sevens history since the sport was added into the games in Rio 2016.
Led and coached by former captain Osea Kolinisau, the team impressed right from the start going on a winning streak in pool play which included a win over France.
But they could not repeat that effort in the final despite scoring the first try of the match, as a spirited French side led by halfback Antoine DuPont found their way to the try line four consecutive times.
Despite missing out on a historic third gold medal, the silver medal placing is the first medal for the Pacific islands in Paris.
Fiji’s Josaia Raisuqe said it was a good final, but Fiji made some mistakes.
“Maybe because [France] were playing on their home soil, it was a special motivation for them. But we must just keep on going,” he said
“We gave our best in this final. But when it comes to the end, one is going to win and one is going to lose, so we accept that.”
He said the medal is silver but “still it is important to me”.
“My family and country are happy now. My mum and dad brought me into this sport and I am thankful for that.”
Fiji captain Jerry Tuwai was all smiles after winning his first silver medal, having won two previous gold medals in Brazil and Japan.
After missing out on selection earlier this year during the Sevens World Series, Tuwai was delighted to come back and serve his country in France.
“It was very hard when I was left out but I always had hoped that I could play another Olympic Games and it happened,” he said.
“My first Olympics (Rio 2016) was a real surprise to me because it was the first time for rugby at the Olympics.The second was better and this one was better still, even though I didn’t win gold with my teammates and for my country. I am grateful I could come this far.”
Meanwhile it was a rather disappointing end for Olympic sevens debutants Samoa who placed 10th overall after losing to Kenya in the 9th place matchup.
Narrowly missing out on a quarterfinal spot, Samoa was relegated to the bottom half of the competition closing off their chances of securing a medal.
The team had earlier beaten Kenya in their pool games but had failed to repeat their feats in the 9th place hitout.
