‘Multiple fractures’: Sarah Hirini pushes through pain to win Olympic gold

New Zealand women’s sevens captain Sarah Hirini has explained why she “looked so sad on the podium” after winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Hirini had already defied the odds to make the Games, and this was just another example of the superstar’s toughness.

Hirini suffered a devastating knee injury in Dubai last December which ended up ruling the skipper out of the SVNS Series season. The now 31-year-old was on crutches as her New Zealand teammates charged into the Cup Final that weekend.

New Zealand Sevens later confirmed that Hirini would fly back home while the rest of the squad carried onto SVNS Cape Town which was held the following weekend. There was an emotional haka and farewell at the airport before Hirini boarded a 17-hour flight to Auckland.

But seven months later, Hirini was included in Team New Zealand’s rugby sevens squad for the Paris Games. Hirini had worked tirelessly to get her body right and was rewarded when the team was officially unveiled in June.

Hirini led the New Zealanders into battle at Stade de France, which included a popular try against China in their opening match at the Paris Games. But the captain’s heroism wouldn’t stop there as a recent social post revealed.

Hirini received a heavy knock to the face during the gold medal match against Canada but still managed to send speedster Stacey Waaka over for a crucial score. New Zealand won gold and most of the players were in tears or smiling, but not Hirini.

It was “one of the happiest days of my life” but she was in a lot of pain.

“If you were wondering why I looked so sad on the podium,” captain Sarah Hirini wrote on her Instagram story. “I promise it was one of the happiest days of my life BUT I was in some amount of pain from the knock I got on my cheek.

“The next day after scans we found out that I have multiple fractures in my face, thankfully not requiring anything other than some rest.

“(Michaela Blyde) and I trying to outdo each other with our battle scars.”

That 19-12 win over Canada at the Saint-Denis venue marks the end of two legendary careers. Sarah Hirini’s good mates Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Tyla King have bowed out on top of the sevens world as two-time Olympic champions.

When Woodman-Wickliffe announced her retirement recently, Hirini spoke with this writer about three hours later. New Zealand’s flag bearer from the Tokyo Games was almost brought to tears when reflecting on the legacy Woodman-Wickliffe will leave behind.

During that interview, Hirini also opened up about the tough seven-month journey she went on after injuring her knee in Dubai. It wasn’t easy, but it all goes to show that Sarah Hirini might be one of the toughest rugby players in New Zealand.

“It’s pretty hard to comprehend, to be honest. Going down in Dubai, I’ve talk about it quite openly, I was like, ‘Holy, this is it.’ I’ve seen people go through ACLs, I’ve seen people go through big injuries and things like that and you don’t come back too fast,” she told RugbyPass.

“Probably in my head, (I was) already planning for what I was going to do now if that Olympic dream was over.

“What I hung into was this tiny little bit of hope that if I did everything right then I would have a potential opportunity of being ready to be selected.”