National rep Iosefo Masi. [Source: Facebook]

National rep Iosefo Masi used to cut pictures of Fiji 7s players from newspapers but he didn’t realize that one day he would be an Olympic gold medalist.

Masi dreamt of playing sevens rugby at South Taveuni Primary School.

However, he played soccer throughout his primary school years but his passion for rugby was growing.

His first rugby match didn’t come until the age of 15 when he attended Holy Cross College in Wairiki, Taveuni.

In an exclusive interview with FBC Sports, the Olympian reveals he would go to the extent of missing out on school just to watch the Fiji team on TV.

“I remember at times when the Series was played during weekdays, I would deliberately be absent from school just so I could watch the national team play on TV. I would volunteer to help my dad at the farm just so I could stay home and watch the game.”

Masi says after every tournament, purchasing local newspapers was a must, in order to collect pictures of the national 7s players.

“I had a file in primary school where I kept cutout pictures of the Fiji 7s players from newspapers. I would take it to school every day and just stare at it. It gave me the motivation to hold on to my dream.”

From Holy Cross College, Masi moved to Suva Grammar School where he played for the U-18 team in the 2016 Deans competition.

He automatically became a part of the Tabadamu team the same year after accompanying his cousin Petero Nakelevanua for training every afternoon.

Masi was uncovered at the 2020 Marist 7s when he ran scored three impressive tries for Tabadamu, which was enough to earn him a spot in the national extended squad.