Sereana Salalo/PACNEWS

Despite being dropped out of the squad in 2016, and a surgery in 2020, the Ravitaki, Kadavu native did not give up on his Olympic dream.  

The nippy halfback was finally on coach Osea Kolinisau’s list for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and he can only thank God for this opportunity.  

He made his HSBC series debut at the 2018 Singapore 7s, which was won by Fiji, and has been a regular face on the national side since then.  

However, it was not a walk in the park for the 30-year-old; the journey in the white jersey was presented with its own challenges.  

He got injured leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Games, but he did not lose focus on his goal. Following his surgery, he returned to training and was back on the national side.  

"The experience of playing in the Olympics could not be compared to any other rugby tournament.  

“I thank God for His guidance throughout my rugby journey; it’s been a long one,” he said.

“I was drafted into the squad in 2016 but did not make the team to Rio.

“In 2020, I got injured, had a surgery, and I thank God that I was able to return to play and finally made it to the Olympics this year.

“What drove me to stay patient for this moment was my upbringing, being born and raised in my village.  

“It was not easy; I dropped out of school; I saw that rugby was the way I could help finance my family.”

He acknowledged assistant coach Setefano Cakau and his Tabadamu Rugby Club, which was the local domestic club he was selected from to join the national extended squad in 2016.

Team Fiji finished the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with a silver medal in the Men's Rugby Sevens Competition, with France walking away with the gold medal.

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