Olympics-Rugby-The New Zealand cultural club behind the gold medal in Tokyo

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Rugby Sevens – Women – Medal Ceremony – Tokyo Stadium – Tokyo, Japan – July 31, 2021. New Zealand players perform haka dance after receiving gold medals. REUTERS / Stoyan Nenov

By Mayu Sakoda

TOKYO (Reuters) – New Zealand celebrated their Olympic gold medal in women’s rugby sevens with a special version of the haka, showing all the ferocity and focus that had seen them become worthy winners against France in final at Tokyo Stadium on Saturday.

Their version is called ‘Ko Uhia Mai’, or ‘Let It Be Known’, an apt name as they left no doubt as to the best team as the Black Ferns netted a disappointing silver medal in Rio there. is five years old with a 26-12 triumph.

“It’s just pure joy,” Captain Sarah Hirini told reporters. “I just think of everything we had to do to get to this moment. I thought of all the people at home who helped us, as well as the players who trained hard but didn’t. could come here.

“Winning is pretty crazy and it’s something where you look at your teammates and you’re like, ‘We finally did it. We did it for New Zealand “.”

Hirini said they used the disappointment of five years ago, when they lost to Australia in the final, to create a new philosophy within the squad, led by coach Allan Bunting.

“He came to us leaders after Rio and said that we have to create a culture where you can be yourself, where you can be free and also be very good people. I think over the last five years, we managed to do it.

“It’s a pretty special group to be a part of, where there is real love for each other. I’m sure you’ll see when we get out of our 40s (in New Zealand) that we all continue to spend time together. ”

As many competitors in Tokyo face an uncertain future with countries looking to scale back their Sevens programs, Hirini said New Zealand is looking to expand further in the years to come.

“We are very lucky in our country to be able to do this for a living as professional athletes in a centralized program,” she added. “This is why we are so successful because we spend so much time together and we work so hard.

“We have a program (in New Zealand) where a young girl can aspire to play and get paid to do it, and I hope it will continue to grow because she can make a good career out of it.”

(Written by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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