France, the host nation of the Paris Olympics 2024, was among the countries that won a gold medal on the opening day of the Games.
Here’s a summary of some of the medal winners from Saturday:
France claimed their first gold medal of the Paris Olympics, and first of any kind in men’s rugby sevens, when Antoine Dupont led them to a stunning 28-7 win over double-defending champions Fiji on an unforgettable night in the Stade de France.
Fiji had won all 17 of their previous matches in the Olympics and went ahead through Joseva Talacolo.
But the home fans exploded when Rayan Rebbadj, who scored twice in the semifinal win over South Africa earlier, dived between the posts to level the scores at halftime.
Superstar scrumhalf Dupont then came off the bench to set up Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, who barrelled over himself to make it 21-7.
The 67,000 crowd could barely control themselves as France then controlled the ball in the final minutes and almost took the roof off when Dupont crashed over in the final play of the match to make the final score 28-7.
The Fijians settled for the silver, while in the earlier bronze medal match, South Africa beat Australia 26-19 with the last play of a pulsating third-place playoff.
American Perry Baker also made headlines, becoming the all-time leading men’s scorer in Olympic rugby sevens when he claimed his 10th try in the United States’s 17-14 loss to Ireland in their 5-8 placing playoff.
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