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Antoine Dupont Leads France to Historic Rugby Sevens Gold at Paris Olympics

Posted : 27 July 2024

Inspired by global superstar Antoine Dupont, France secured a historic 28-7 victory over two-time Olympic champions Fiji in a thrilling rugby sevens final on Saturday, earning the hosts their first gold medal of the Paris Games. Dupont, widely regarded as the world's best 15-a-side player, came off the bench to deliver an extraordinary second-half performance. He scored twice and set up another try, handing Fiji their first-ever Olympic loss.

 

Fiji started strong, breaking several French tackles and offloading skillfully to release Joseva Talacolo for a try under the posts just over a minute into the game. However, the raucous Stade de France crowd soon had reason to cheer as France quickly leveled the score. Andy Timo delivered a perfectly timed pass to Jefferson-Lee Joseph, who scored a try.

 

French coach Jerome Daret had strategically kept star player Dupont on the bench for most of the tournament but brought him on at halftime with the sides tied. Dupont's impact was immediate; he broke down the wing from the restart, outpaced Fijian legend Jerry Tuwai, and provided a try-scoring pass to Aaron Grandidier Nkanang. Dupont then scored himself, capitalizing on a quick tap penalty to dart under the posts. He 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's decision to skip this season's Six Nations to focus on winning Olympic sevens gold paid off brilliantly. Earlier on Saturday, South Africa held off a determined comeback from Australia to claim the bronze medal with a 26-19 victory. World Rugby executives have hailed the Paris Olympics as a "coming of age" moment for rugby sevens, which was introduced at the 2016 Rio Games. They expect up to 550,000 fans to attend the eight sessions of both the men's and women's tournaments at the Stade de France. The women's event kicks off on Sunday, with Australia and New Zealand as clear favorites.

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