Talk about a lucky charm. Monique de Kerangal's first rugby match and first trip to Stade de France ended with France romping to a 28-7 victory over defending champions Fiji to claim their first Olympic men's rugby sevens title and the country's first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
"I was hooked from the moment I walked into the stadium," said the 60-year-old nurse.
"It was impressive to see the fervour rising and rising as the semifinal got underway. The atmosphere was great. It was well coordinated between the music and the matches. I thought it was really good."
Husband Christian concurred.
"It was magical. Exceptional. It's true that the fact that France won helps, doesn't it?"
The couple, who live in Saint-Cloud on the leafy western fringes of Paris, paid 145 euros each on Friday for their first trip to an event at an Olympic Games – as well as a piece of Paris 2024 history.
"The stadium was superb, and the teams played really well," said Christian. "And the atmosphere in the stadium was exceptional, very strong."
Memories of World Cup
Unlike his neophyte wife, Christian is a Stade de France habitué, with trips last autumn during the rugby union World Cup for a semifinal and the third-place playoff between England and Argentina.
A heavily fancied France flopped in that tournament. South Africa beat them 29-28 in a nail-biting quarter-final.
Antoine Dupont, who was injured in a pool match against Namibia, returned sporting a mask to protect a broken cheekbone but to no avail.
The skipper of the 15-man team dropped out of the 2024 Six Nations tournament to devote himself to the cause of the national sevens team.
And it paid off handsomely.
"When I joined the squad for the first time I wondered what I was doing with them and if I made the right choice to not play the Six Nations," Dupont admitted.
But after dancing in the centre of the pitch with his teammates following the rout, he beamed: "The atmosphere was amazing. I've rarely heard such an atmosphere here in Stade de France.
"The fans made a lot of noise and we had to embrace it and give something back to them."
French triumph
Coach Jérôme Daret started Dupont on the bench. It appeared a waste of riches as Fiji scored on their first attack.
Joseva Talacolo's impudence silenced the partisans. But they were re-energised just before half-time when Andy Timo's barnstorming run set up Jefferson-Lee Joseph.
At 7-7, Daret sent on Dupont for and he lived up to his name. The 27-year-old offered the bridge into the promised land.
France thrash Fiji in rugby sevens to claim first gold medal at Paris Olympics
A searing run down the left wing at the start of the second half left Aaron Grandidier Nkanang with the formalities and Rayan Rebbadj added his second conversion of the match to give France a 14-7 lead.
Dupont took charge of a penalty and tricked his way over the touchline to effectively end the contest at 19-7. Another conversion made it 21-7 and Dupont's try at the end hinted at excess.
Satisfied with silver
“It was not what we wanted but France were too good for us," said Fiji's Jerry Tuwai.
"We started really well but a lot of things happened that didn’t go our way. I wanted to end my career with a third gold but not everything goes to plan."
A group of Fiji supporters were equally realistic as they planned the evening's entertainment outside the stadium.
"It's the first time they've lost at the Olympics," said Robert Nicole, who was over from Christchurch in New Zealand with his wife Raijeli to see the game and meet up with his younger brothers George, 56, and 54-year-old Philippe. They had travelled respectively from Zhengzou in China and Solothurn in Switzerland with their families.
"But we're so proud of them," added Robert. "Even a silver ... Fiji is only 900,000 people and so to get to the final of this event is just so brilliant."
