Two-time Olympic gold medallist Jerry Tuwai is back on the world’s biggest sporting stage. Just a few months ago, the rugby sevens legend looked set to miss out on the Paris Olympics after missing out on representing Fiji.
Tuwai did not play in the SVNS series until the grand final in Madrid. Former coach Ben Gollings overlooked the 35-year-old early in the season, with the Englishman reportedly citing fitness as the reason for his non-selection.
New coach Osea Colinsaud, who won Olympic gold with Tuwai at the 2016 Rio Olympics, took over just weeks before the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens. Colinsaud did not pick his old teammate for that tournament or the next one in Singapore.
But when Fiji announced their squad for the grand final event at Civitas Metropolitano, Tuwai’s inclusion was the biggest story. Fiji had been unusually underwhelming during the regular season and were desperate to turn their fortunes around.
Tuwai was an unused substitute in Fiji’s thrilling win over traditional rivals New Zealand in their first match, but by the end of the tournament the sevens veteran was in the starting lineup. Almost two months later, Tuwai was named Fiji’s sevens captain at the Paris Olympics.
“A lot of things have been happening over the past few months that have been hurting me, and not being able to compete in the SVNS series has hurt my core,” Tuwai said on the Olympic broadcast.
“But I never lost hope. I always believed I could go to another Olympics.
“A few months later, here I am. It’s a blessing because I just played my first game.
“He’s not a bad guy, he’s not a bad coach. He’s a very good guy. I respect him. He’s a good coach. He’s a very good coach,” Tuwai explained when asked about Ben Gollings.
“I think there was a lot of misunderstanding between us, between the media, between people, which created unnecessary drama, and that affected our players in the series.
“But like I said, he’s a good guy, a good coach. It’s all a misunderstanding that’s caused a lot of drama.”
Fiji, led by Tuwai, got off to a perfect start as they aim to become the first nation to win three Olympic gold medals in Rugby Sevens.
The Fijians opened their account with a 40-12 win over newly promoted SVNS Series side Uruguay, and backed it up with a 38-12 win over the United States, the second and third largest margins of victory on the opening day in Saint-Denis.
In front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de France, the two-time Olympic gold medalist Brazil dominated the contest against the United States, scoring 33 points in the first half alone.
The game was essentially over at that point.
Waisea Nakuku added another goal for Fiji in the second quarter before USA Sevens great Perry Baker sealed the win with a dominant try. But the game was all but over before that point, and Fiji will take a lot of confidence from that result.
They face Antoine Dupont’s Fance early Friday morning (Fiji time), but for now, the result aside, it’s time to pay tribute to Jerry Tuwai’s hard work in preparation for the Olympics.
“It wasn’t my dream. Rugby wasn’t in the Olympics,” he added. “After the first Olympics, I thought, ‘I can do it again.’ And after the second Olympics, I thought, ‘I can do it again.’
“This is the third time, and I don’t know if I’ll do it again, but it’s all in God’s hands.”
