Olympics 2024: Black Ferns Sevens greats do the remarkable double-double

After France claimed the men’s Olympic rugby sevens title in Paris this week, online chatter suggested French star Antonie Dupont was a contender in rugby’s Goat (Greatest Of All Time) discussion after successfully switching from success in the XVs game to win Olympic gold in the shorter format.

What is missing from his CV is a XVs Rugby World Cup title. Well, four New Zealand names can now well and truly enter the conversation, having done it all in rugby – twice.

Sarah Hirini, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Theresa Setefano and Stacey Waaka are now two-time World Cup winners and double Olympic champions following the Black Ferns Sevens’ gold medal win at the Paris Olympics. They also have a World Cup Sevens gold and a Commonwealth Games title.

Hirini, Woodman-Wickliffe, Waaka and Setefano, along with Tyla King, Michaela Blyde, Risi Pouri-Lane and Alena Saili also join a list of 15 Kiwis to win multiple gold medals at the Olympics.

Hirini, Woodman-Wickliffe, Setefano and King join Danyon Loader with two golds and a silver in a tie for seventh on the New Zealand all-time list.

For Hirini, it was a remarkable return to even make the Olympics after undergoing ACL surgery in December after suffering a knee injury at the Dubai Sevens.

She was then left with a bloodied face in the final after receiving a knock.

Speaking to Sky Sports before the medal ceremony, Hirini said she was “bloody sore” but “so happy”.

”I don’t even know how to put that into words. Literally what this crowd has done for us over the last few days, what Aotearoa does for us on a daily, we feel you, we hear you, we see you. This one’s for you guys. We’re bringing that gold medal back. Leshgo.”

Woodman-Wickliffe announced her retirement of the eve of the Olympics. She finishes her career having scored the most tries in Rugby World Cups, with 20, most tries in a Black Ferns tests, with eight, and most tries in sevens World Series history.

King also deserves recognition for an outstanding career dedicated to the sevens game. She is also retiring – telling Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that it was time to leave the game she had played internationally for 13 years.

“I have had my time in this black jersey and, you know, I’ve grown up in this, in this team, in this environment and I’ve been here since I was 17, for the last 13 years, this has been a big and huge part of my life.

“It’s going to be definitely weird, leaving it behind, but I know, I know it’s fine. Physically, I probably could, you know, play on for another couple of years, but there’s just this feeling you get and it’s my time to, you know, pass this jersey on, the no.7, which I’ve been in since I debuted back in 2012. It’s time to pass it on to someone else.”

Hear it as it happens with live commentary of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on GOLD SPORT & iHeartRadio, plus comprehensive coverage on Newstalk ZB.