‘Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles’.

The Stade de France sang in perfect harmony to the words of Charles Aznavour as Antoine Dupont had done just that, taking France to dreamland and delivering the first home gold of Paris 2024.

The 15s superstar left this stadium last November a broken man after a home World Cup ended in heartbreak with a one-point defeat to South Africa in the quarter-finals.

His decision to make the switch to sevens – skipping the Six Nations to do so – was almost unprecedented for a player in the prime of his career and widely regarded as the greatest on the planet.

Not since he appeared in a bright yellow dressing gown on the front cover of Vogue had Dupont put himself in such a vulnerable position, but when his country needed him, he answered the call.

Against Fiji, who had won all 17 previous matches they had played of men’s Olympic sevens to secure gold in Rio and Tokyo, France trailed 7-0 after just 94 seconds.

They had got back level by half-time when Dupont was introduced. From there, it was all about one man.

Dupont’s very first touch saw him collect the ball in his own 22 before spotting a gap down the left and racing 70 metres, shaking off the tackle of the legendary Jerry Tuwai before delivering a try for Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang on a plate.

Then with 90 seconds remaining, Dupont produced the moment. This was Cathy Freeman at Sydney 2000, Neymar in Rio 16 years later, and it came on the very first day of the Games.

From a quick tap penalty, he shrugged off two tackles and dived for the try that made sure of gold. The Stade de France erupted.

The icing on the cake came as Dupont was at the back of a rolling maul for a surreal second try to seal it.

With his fractured cheekbone and devastating exit last year, Dupont knows that not every competition ends with a Hollywood ending, but this one did – even if he had doubts when he first took the plunge.

He recalled: “The first day I arrived at Marcoussis (the French national training centre), I was wondering what I had let myself in for, whether the decision not to play the Six Nations was the right one.

“There were lots of decisions to make in a short space of time. It was a lot of commitment, sacrifices and work to be at the best possible level for this team which has given me so much back. Now we have to enjoy it.”

It would be wrong to put all of France’s success down to Dupont. Varian Pasquet swung the semi-final against South Africa, Andy Timo was huge in stemming the early Fijian tide in the final and Rayan Rebbadj’s goal-kicking was crucial throughout.

But his addition to this side has turned a group with potential into winners.

Prior to his arrival, they had not won an event on the World Series circuit in 19 years. With Dupont, they won bronze in his first tournament in Vancouver before claiming gold in Los Angeles a week later.

His third tournament was the SVNS Grand Final, another victory, and now this.

When he gets to finals, Dupont invariably wins. In eight previous finals in 15s and 7s he had always been victorious. This was the toughest task of all and, in seven minutes, he changed the game and launched these Games.

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