Former Fiji 7s skipper Kalione Nasoko is relishing his dream of getting back into the national squad to vie for a spot in the 13-member squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 30-year-old has recovered from a lengthy anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which he suffered in 2019 which prevented him from pursuing his professional career with Pro 14 club Edinburgh Rugby.
Nasoko said it was a long journey for him coming back to the playing field following the injury with the help from the coaches and the medical staff.
“I have come back into form to be in the preparation squad for the Olympic Games campaign,” he said.
“It has been an experience to be in recovery mode and now I’m excited to represent Fiji again. A lot of work has been done by the coaches to get this team together. There are some new boys who will be playing against New Zealand and Australia in the Oceania 7s who are also preparing for the Olympic Games.
“We have been working hard to lift our level and we have been studying the game patterns of the other teams.”
Nasoko featured for the Police Blues team in the Fiji Rugby Super Sevens Series earlier this year earning a recall into the 21-member national training squad for the gold medal defence in Japan.
He said the squad had sacrificed a lot in quarantine.
“It is now time to give back to the families in Fiji and get the smiles back on their faces,” Nasoko said.
