Antoine Dupont of France outran Fiji’s Waisea Nacuqu to score a try during the men’s gold medal Rugby Sevens match between France and Fiji at the 2024 Summer Olympics, held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
Inspired by global superstar Antoine Dupont, France ended two-time Olympic champions Fiji’s reign with a historic 28-7 victory in the thrilling rugby sevens final. This win marked the host nation’s first gold medal of the Paris Games.
Dupont, regarded by many as the world’s top 15-a-side player, came off the bench to deliver an exceptional second-half performance, scoring twice and setting up another try, leading to Fiji’s first-ever Olympic loss in rugby sevens.
Fiji had an explosive start, breaking several French tackles and skillfully offloading to allow Joseva Talacolo to score a try under the posts within just over a minute. However, the roaring Stade de France crowd saw Les Bleus quickly equalize as Andy Timo passed perfectly to Jefferson-Lee Joseph, who scored a try.
French coach Jérôme Daret strategically started Dupont on the bench, as he had done throughout the tournament, but introduced his star playmaker at halftime with the scores tied. Dupont made an immediate impact.
He broke down the wing from the restart, outpacing Fijian legend Jerry Tuwai, and ran half the length of the pitch before passing inside for Aaron Grandidier Nkanang to score. Dupont then secured the win for France with a quick tap penalty that caught the Fijian defense off guard, allowing him to score under the posts. Dupont added another try after the buzzer, sending the Stade de France crowd into a frenzy, with President Emmanuel Macron watching from the VIP stands.
Dupont had surprised many by opting out of this season’s Six Nations to focus on winning Olympic sevens gold, a gamble that paid off gloriously.
Earlier on Saturday, South Africa staved off a strong comeback from Australia to claim the bronze medal with a 26-19 victory.
World Rugby executives praised the Paris Olympics as a milestone for rugby sevens, a sport introduced at the 2016 Rio Games. They estimate that up to 550,000 fans will fill the Stade de France over the eight sessions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The women’s rugby sevens event starts on Sunday, with Australia and New Zealand viewed as the top contenders for the gold medal.