Sereana Salalo/PACNEWS

The 24-year-old athlete from Nasalia, Naitasiri, made her Olympic debut at Stade de France with the Team Fiji Women’s Rugby Sevens team at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

She began her rugby journey playing for Nadi 15s before being selected for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2022.

Delaiwau also debuted for the Rugby Sevens side during the 2021/2022 sevens series.

However, her experience at the Paris Olympics was unparalleled.

“I thank God for where I've reached,” Delaiwau said.

“The Olympic experience is quite different from the Sevens Series, especially meeting famous sports stars like basketball players randomly walking in the village.

“One day, I saw an athlete who was so tall, I couldn't help but ask his height, and he said it was 2 meters.

That’s the beauty of staying in the village – you meet different people from different countries,” she said.

Despite losing all their matches at the Paris 2024, Delaiwau expressed gratitude for the guidance of senior players, including captain Reijieli Daveua and Reapi Ulunisau.

“Playing at my first Olympics will be memorable; I’ve never seen a packed stadium – people are in every direction you look.

“It’s not the result we wanted for this Olympic Games, but we thank those who have been supporting us along the journey,” Delaiwau said.