Fiji wins its first ever Olympic medal — and it's gold

Fiji rugby players celebrate their gold medal victory.
(Image credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

Fiji won its first ever Olympic medal Thursday in Rio after the men's rugby sevens team defeated Great Britain 43-7 to take home the gold.

The powerhouse team beat New Zealand in the quarterfinals, 12-7, and Japan, 20-5, in the semis, before easily sailing through its match against Great Britain. Fiji has sent athletes to the Summer Games since 1956, and three competitors have even made it to the Winter Olympics, but this is the country's first ever medal of any kind. Great Britain received the silver medal, and South Africa the bronze.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.