The 2024 Paris Olympics rugby sevens events are in the books, with both the men’s and women’s medallists decided in the French capital. The passed six days of action have provided some unforgettable ‘edge of your seat’ moments, as France men and New Zealand women took home the gold medals from their respective competitions.
For this article, we will be looking at the top performers from the 12 competing countries in the men’s side of the tournament. We are going to piece together a team of the Olympics, that features the stars of Paris, with a certain French scrum half amongst the first names on the team sheet. We have cast our selection net far and wide across the Games, so whilst not all of the players in our dream team left Paris with silverware, they certainly left an imprint upon the rugby sevens landscape.
Here is RUCK’s Men’s Rugby Sevens Team of the Games, for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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1. Chay Mullins (Ireland)
Eclipsing his Ireland teammate Terry Kennedy to a place in our starting side, Chay Mullins was in formidable form across his first Olympic Games. The 22-year-old ran in a total of six tries for Ireland, and in doing so topped the scoring charts for his country. The youngest member of the Ireland squad, Mullins has given Connacht fans a glimpse of his exciting skillset, as the fullback has signed with the Irish province for the 2024/25 season after a run in the Bristol Bears academy.
2. Selestino Ravutaumada (Fiji)
Taking to rugby sevens with effortless aplomb, Selestino Ravutaumada was gifted a debut try for the Flying Fijians and only progressed on from there. Playing with the flair and physical prowess of a long-time sevens star, Ravutaumada contributed two tries for his team, as the Pacific Islanders ended the tournament as silver medallists. Whilst the Fijians would be devastated to have had their undefeated Olympic run ended by France, Ravutaumada would be happy with the impression he left upon the side for future tours.
3. John Okeyo (Kenya)
Representing the side that in no time became everybody’s second favourite team, John Okeyo enters the fray on behalf of the ultimate underdogs Kenya. The top scorer for the East African side with three tries, the Kenyans were beloved at the Games for their tireless work rate and entertaining try celebrations. From pulling out the Usain Bolt pose to a choreographed dance routine, Kenya certainly made their mark at the games, with Okeyo at the heart of the contributions.
4. Antoine Dupont (France)
Amongst the first names on our team-sheet, Antoine Dupont is steadily completing his quest of rugby world domination. Less than a year on from the heartbreak of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Dupont returned to the Stade de France and led Les Bleus to their first rugby sevens Olympic gold medal. Following on from leading France to their first HSBC SVNS title in 17 years, Dupont was France’s joint-top scorer at the Olympics with four tries, with all important match-winners in the Gold Final. Dupont continues to craft his legacy to be remembered as the greatest of all time.