Fiji ensures first Olympic medal, now aims for gold

Fans sing during the men’s rugby sevens match at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016.

Osea Kolinisau and his rugby sevens teammates capped Fiji’s domination over the past two years with a mighty performance in the Olympic final gold medal game against a British team that was steamrollered by the powerful Fijians.

Fiji rugby sevens coach Ben Ryan tweeted his appreciation.

It was an Olympic first in so many ways – a debut for the sport and a first medal, let alone gold, for Fiji.

The Fijians were faster, they were stronger and they were on a higher level.

How fitting was it then that upon last night’s final it was the Queen’s red of their former colonists in which they were to face, and eventually annihilate; a poetic justice of sorts.

With a population of around 900,000, Fiji has long punched above its weight in global rugby, particularly in the sevens game which rewards the pace, power and skill of its distinctive brand of play.

– Fiji’s powerful rugby players have won the South Pacific island nation’s first Olympic medal – and it’s gold.

Seven different Fiji players scored tries in the match. People in Japan took notice.

Rugby sevens is Fiji’s national sport and nearly every village, no matter how small, usually has a team.

The women’s world series champion Australians won the gold medal in a final against No. 2-ranked New Zealand, and Canada beat Britain for bronze.

“You come to events that are far bigger than anything we normally stage and to be a part of it has been fantastic”, Beaumont said, adding that it was taking the game to new markets.

World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said fan engagement as well as spectator numbers and broadcast figures would the main criteria judged by the International Olympic Committee, at an Olympics where some venues have been marred by low turnout.

Rugby is back in the Olympics for the first time since a 15-a-side tournament was played in 1924.

“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”.

“For years we tried to get back the Fijian flair and when Ben came, he brought that out and brought a real consistency to our game”.

“The intensity and the way that South Africa played, right from the very first kick-off, had us on the back heel the whole time”.

Hosted at the purpose-built Deodoro Stadium, rugby sevens has been a crowd-pleasing, standout success in the first week of the Rio Games, vying for attention with the traditional headline acts in the pool and gymnastics arena. The games are played on a full field, with seven players in a team and with halves of seven minutes instead of 40.