New Zealand’s all-conquering women’s rugby sevens team were crowned Olympic champions on Saturday on the last day of the rugby competition at the Tokyo Stadium in Chofu.
Ruby Tui gained notoriety for her fine displays at Tokyo 2020 but also for her off field work in the mixed zone where an interview with a British broadcaster quickly went viral on social media.
Tui, 29, wowed viewers as she spoke Japanese, Samoan, Maori and English during the interview and her charm and charisma as well as her rich New Zealand values shone through.
The Black Ferns banished their memories of their loss to Australia in the Rio 2016 final as they clinched the only title missing from their collection as they added to their Rugby World Cup Sevens, World Series Trophy and Commonwealth Games gold medals.
New Zealand defeated France 26-12 with a solid performance including some sublime scores to claim an emotional win and they performed a special haka to mark the occasion.
“Emotions are good, right? I’m so happy, so proud,” said the in-demand prop.
“We had a dream and winning silver just didn’t feel the right way for this team to bow out.
“I have looked at my silver medal (from Rio 2016) every day since I have been here. I will never forget the person I was when we won silver because I have had a complete change in the person I was then in order to win this gold.
“The gold is a metaphor for a dream about positive thinking. It is not just the gold medal but how we have grown since. You just have to believe,” Tui concluded.
Fiji beat Great Britain 21-12 to win bronze despite a brace of tries from Welsh-speaking captain Megan Jones who has represented England since 2015.
Hosts Japan finished 12th after being humbled by Brazil 21-12 and there will no doubt need to be a lengthy review of their sevens program which has faltered in recent years while their 15s game has flourished.
KEEP READING:
Últimas Noticias
New IOC members elected, Tokyo 2020 organizers praised as IOC session ends
IOC members approve a change that could have consequences for the International Weightlifting Federation
Karate stars on its Olympic debut as all eight golds go to different nations
Japan, Spain, Egypt, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Iran and Serbia all hit the gold medal trail in karate at Tokyo 2020.
U.S. Sweeps Olympic golf gold medals as Nelly Korda claims victory
Korda holds off surging opponents to win women’s individual stroke play tournament by one shot as storms subside.
Japan, Italy and Serbia strike for gold on day two of karate competition
All six gold medals have been won by different countries, illustrating how competitive the sport is at the elite level and how prominent it is worldwide.
Heavyweight glory for USA’s wrestling phenom Steveson, who nets $250,000 for his last-second win
The gold medal was secured at the death, with a pair of late takedowns including one with less than a second remaining.
