New Zealand went one step further in the women’s Olympic rugby sevens tournament, winning the gold medal on Saturday.
At Rio 2016, the ‘Black Ferns Sevens’ lost in the final to rivals Australia, earning a silver medal in the process.
However, five years later, they overcame the heartbreak as they won 26-12 against a gritty France team.
Tries from Michaela Blyde, Gayle Broughton, Stacey Fluhler and Tyla Nathan-Wong led them to the team’s first ever gold medal, sparking scenes of jubilant celebrations and tears from many of the players after the final whistle.
New Zealand are the reigning women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens champions.
New Zealand star Ruby Tui said she was “so happy, so proud” after her side’s victory.
“We had a dream and winning silver just didn’t feel the right way for this team to bow out,” the 2019 World Rugby women’s sevens player of the year told the media afterwards.
“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.”
Earlier in the day, Fiji produced an excellent display to beat Team GB 21-12 and earned themselves a bronze medal.
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