His parents had to save up to buy him a pair of rugby boots, and he once hid in a ditch from victorious Rio 2016 coach Ben Ryan to avoid training.

The diminutive stepper from Newtown immediately caught Ryan’s eye at a national sevens tournament with some blistering tries. Tuwai is known for his agility, sharp decision-making and his ability to step defenders without losing speed. ", “Ben loves to talk and he’s really good at motivational speeches. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Niccolo Campriani leads three refugees on a brave journey to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in the air rifle event. I think of them working. Week 222 (13 - 19 January 2018), Week 168 (31 December 2016 - 6 January 2017), T: +44 (0) 1892 860860F: +44 (0) 1892 862293E: info@jta.sport Our latest tweets. Between the ages of 14 and 15, he used to join his father to fish and then sell the capture on the streets, which he defines as "a very hard job". He won the 2019 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year award. In an emotional final, Fiji overturned a 15-point deficit to beat Australia, dedicating their victory to those that had lost their lives back home. Victor Besa for The National Victor Besa for The National I just picture my mum working and my dad working hard on the farm. “People from all walks of life were standing there, calling out our names. Live UFC 253: Israel Adesanya beats Paulo Costa by TKO to retain world title, Covid-19: From comfortable retirement to living in a motorhome, New Zealanders unprepared for financial shock of coronavirus, Coronavirus: Two new Covid-19 cases, both in managed isolation, A woman has died after slipping and falling on Mt Ruapehu, Strategy to transform family violence written off as 'too Māori', Rider dies on Nelson downhill mountainbiking trail, Quiz: Morning trivia challenge: September 27, 2020. “I hated training, hated it!” Tuwai continued. He was a part of the Fiji Sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was a case of third time lucky for the 30-year-old playmaker, who was also nominated for the award in 2017 and 2018. He has repaid their faith by being named the men's sevens player of the year by World Rugby in 2019 and in 2020 he's aiming to win Fiji a second Olympics gold medal if the Tokyo Games go ahead. “We were flying out to play in Las Vegas when the hurricane hit. He goes back regularly to Newtown, the place where he grew up. But the next day I would come back again because it was so much fun." While the people cheer and sing in the street after every victory on the world series, the team also hold the power to lift the spirits of its people when they are in need. He couldn’t understand the intensity of the work we were doing and he couldn’t connect it with the rugby that he loved to play. It was not just a win for the rugby sevens team but for the whole of Fiji. “I was kicked out from school, so my mum and dad told me to do something else, and I looked into rugby. In 2018 he was rewarded with the captaincy of the team, before being named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2019. Tuwai’s rugby story has been showcased in a special video produced for Mizuno and has been released at a difficult time for everyone who is playing on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Circuit with the Hong Kong and Singapore tournaments postponed until October due to the coronavirus which may also make it difficult for Fiji to arrange practise matches with Australia and Samoa. This has led Fiji Sevens legend Waisale Serevi to declare that Tuwai's even a better player than he was in his prime. Exclusive! But where many of his counterparts on the world series from England, Australia, and New Zealand honed their skills on the pristine grass fields of elite sports academies, Tuwai learnt the game on the gravel roundabout of a small town in Fiji’s capital Suva. 2020 - All rights reserved, Tuwai's hat-trick of tries for champions Fiji, Jerry Tuwai: bringing hope from the slum to the nation, Rugby sevens team takes first ever gold for Fiji, Podcast: Ben Ryan – the coach behind Fiji’s rugby 7s Olympic gold, Ben Ryan: Fiji rugby stars like Rupeni Caucaunibuca 'misunderstood', Carlin Isles exclusive: From troubled times to Tokyo 2020. Inspirational lessons from world-class athletes about how they overcame common personal barriers and started their own impossible. RugbyPass is the premier destination for rugby fans across the globe, with the best news, analysis, shows, highlights, podcasts, documentaries, live match & player stats, live blog feeds, and in some territories live streaming of the world's greatest rugby tournaments all in HD. I’ll never forget what he told me that day, about never giving up. Right now I’ll just enjoy my rugby and see where God takes me next.”, TM © Olympic Channel Services S.L. He was raised in a one-room house with corrugated iron walls.

I just picture my Mum working and my Dad working hard on the farm. He's also notable for his commitment for the physical side of the game, being a force at the breakdown and making an impact with his defence, despite being small for an average professional rugby player. Jerry Tuwai Week 160 (29 October - 4 November 2016) When Fiji defeated Great Britain in the final of the rugby sevens tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a whole nation rejoiced in wild celebration as Fiji won its first ever Olympic medal, also becoming the first small Pacific island nation to win an Olympic gold medal.

“We would play three-a-side touch rugby every afternoon, after school, on our small roundabout in Newtown," the Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist told Olympic Channel on a video link from Fiji.