Antoine Dupont came off the bench to inspire France to Olympic gold in the rugby sevens with a 28-7 win over Fiji at a bouncing Stade de France.
The French superstar has been put forward as a poster boy this summer, similar to the position he found himself in at last year’s Rugby World Cup, when the host nation fell just short.
There was to be no repeat here, Dupont ensuring he did get his crowning moment on home soil, as he set up a try and scored two of his own in a remarkable second-half performance, having come on with it 7-7 at at the break.
French president Emmanuel Macron was among the 70,000 in attendance in Paris, as France secured their first gold of these Olympic Games.
Dupont was introduced at half-time and within 20 seconds he had played a leading role in France taking the lead for the first time. He burst down the left wing, skipping through the tackles before playing the ball inside for Aaron Grandidier to finish.
Fiji, who won gold in Rio and Tokyo and were eyeing a remarkable hat-trick, struggled to cope with the wave of French pressure, and Dupont found a gap to dive over himself and leave the hosts on the verge of victory.
The final hooter confirmed that, but there was still time for Dupont to grab his second try and seal victory in style, his move to the sevens game ending in the ultimate success.