SAINT-DENIS, France — It took Antoine Dupont and his status as his sport’s best player to finally end Fiji’s dominance of Olympic rugby sevens, helping France win a gold medal at a raucous Stade de France.
Dupont scored two tries and set up another after going on as a second-half replacement and France won a coveted title with a 28-7 victory.
Fiji had never lost a sevens rugby match at the Olympics, taking a 17-game winning streak into the final.
The defending champions scored first but when Dupont went onto the field just after halftime, the momentum turned.
He started the second half by running down the left sideline from inside his own quarter and deep into Fiji’s before unloading a pass to Aaron Grandidier Nkanang to give France a 14-7 lead.
Dupont’s two tries at the end was the icing for the 69,000 capacity crowd.
The mercurial playmaker skipped the Six Nations tournament and switched his attention from the traditional 15s format to rugby sevens for his once-in-a-lifetime chance to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil.
He can renew his 15s career as an Olympic champion.
France opened the tournament with a 12-12 draw against the U.S., struggled against Uruguay and then lost 19-12 to Fiji in the group stage. That was followed by a gritty win over Argentina in the quarterfinals and a 19-5 comeback win over South Africa in the semifinals.