The Olympic Games in Tokyo appears to be a very powerful base for the resurgence of our Fijiana.
After dismal campaigns over the years, our bunch of eager and enthusiastic women kept the faith, believed in themselves, and stayed true to their dreams.
They yearned for a moment in history where respect would come in many folds. They yearned for recognition and for support.
They yearned for acceptance and for Fijians to look up to them as credible performers on the world stage. It wasn’t an easy proposition, but it was something worth fighting for.
It was something worth the sweat, and endless hours in the gym, the many kilometres they had to run and the hours spent on developing skills. In the end, bronze at the pinnacle of sports, at the Olympic Games changed their fortunes.
It embraced every aspect of their dreams, and set the platform for a resurgence in fortunes. It set the way forward and set women’s rugby and the Fijiana on a path to big things.
So yesterday, the Fijiana took another step forward, anchoring a powerful foray at the Dubai 7s.
When the dust settled so to speak, the Fijiana walked away with silver, confidently backing themselves up after the first tournament the previous weekend. They believed in themselves.
They believed they could rock the boat and settled for nothing more than the best enroute to the final. Again, they earned our respect. They lived up to expectations and they punched above their weight.
The Rusila Nagasau-led side now sit second on the series points table, a historic first, and 30 points shy of beating their highest ever points gathered in a series which was 66 in 2017, after just one stop.
Coach Saiasi Fuli commended the Fijiana for not allowing themselves to be swayed or distracted by past achievements. He acknowledged their willingness to learn, gain experience and to continue pushing the benchmark.
“There is still been a lot of learning for them to work more as a team, be smart and aggressive on the field and every time produce results,” Fuli said.
The Fijiana return home before preparing for the Malaga 7s in Spain where they are pooled with New Zealand, USA and Canada scheduled for January 21-23.
There can be no doubts about the impact their campaigns have had on the minds of youngsters keen to challenge themselves.
This surely is their time and moment in history. We say go Fijiana! Keep reaching for the stars!
