Glory be, the Games are going to have to go some to top their start at the Stade de France on Saturday night. France won their first gold medal of these Olympics in the most incredible style, with a ring-a-ding, rope-a-dope 28-7 victory in the men’s rugby sevens final against the two-time Olympic champions Fiji. It wasn’t only orchestrated by Antoine Dupont, it was conceived, composed and performed by him too. Dupont, the face of the Games, met the moment in a way few athletes labouring under the heavy weight of national expectation, ever do.
In the space of seven minutes, the scrum-half made one try and scored two more. Whatever else happens in the next fortnight, his play in those moments will be part of the highlight reel of the Games. He did it all in front of a capacity crowd, the largest ever assembled for a game of sevens. Emmanuel Macron was there among the thousands, the president beaming down from the balcony while everyone belted out La Marseillaise. You could just about catch the golden tint of all that reflected glory on his brilliant white teeth.
