The Black Ferns 7s beat Canada 19-12 in the decider at the Stade de France this morning completing their title defence with an unbeaten run at the French national stadium.
It was captain Sarah Hirini, who only barely overcame a serious knee injury to make the Olympics, who set up the gold medal sealing try.
Clinging on to a 14-12 lead with time winding down, the Black Ferns Sevens were pinned on their own line by the swarming Canadians.
The Canadians lead 12-7 at the break.
However, Hirini cracked them open, linking up with her support before Stacey Waaka dived over out wide to complete the sweeping move.
This will be New Zealand’s second gold in women’s sevens, following their success in Tokyo in 2021 and their silver medal in Rio in 2016, when the sport debuted at Olympic level.
In other results, the USA scooped Bronze after pipping Australia 14-12 in the dying seconds, while South Africa beat Fiji 21-15.
