My son was watching the celebrations of the Fiji Team after the Rio Olympics in 2016, and told us that he will be the next Olympian and one day he will wear the white jersey.
Those are the words of the mother of Fiji Water Flying Fijians right-wing Jiuta Wainiqolo.
Ulamila Vonu Wainiqolo says Jiuta was sitting with them at home when he told them about his dream.
She says Jiuta is a person who works hard towards his dream and sees that he fulfills it.
Jiuta who is from Navu-i-ra in Ra, grew up in Tokotoko Backroad in Navua and attended Vashist Muni Primary School and then went to Vashist Muni College.
He played soccer from primary to secondary school.
Jiuta also started playing rugby after joining the Navua Police team before he attended Ratu Kadavulevu School for vocational studies.
He played for RKS in the U18 Vodafone Super Deans Competition in 2017 where he was spotted by Fiji Rugby selectors.
They won the Deans Trophy beating QVS that year.
Jiuta also played for Nabua, and then later joined the Suva rugby team. He also played for the Fiji Drua in the 2019 National Rugby Championship in Australia. He got his first call-up for the Flying Fijians match against the Barbarians.
Jiuta won gold for Fiji in the 2020 Olympics 7s competition.
He is currently playing for Toulon in France.
His mother says they were excited at home when Jiuta was picked to be part of the Rugby World Cup for the first time in the Fiji Water Flying Fijians.
She has also sent the family's best wishes to Jiuta and the Flying Fijians team and has urged them to play their hearts out as not only representing his family but their vanua and most importantly, the people of Fiji.
The Flying Fijians will take on France at 7.05am this Sunday.
They will take on England at Twickenham Stadium at 2.15am next Sunday in their last test match before heading back to France for the Rugby World Cup.
The Flying Fijians first RWC pool match will be against Wales at 7am Monday the 11th of September.
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