Black Ferns Sevens co-captain Sarah Hirini has confirmed she sustained multiple facial fractures during the team's gold medal match against Canada.
The 31-year-old took a knock to the face right before making the break that sealed her team's win at Stade de France on Wednesday.
She continued the match, but was sent for medical tests after the team's victory.
Hirini has now uploaded an Instagram story to explain why she looked "so sad on the podium" and to reveal the extent of her injury.
"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," she wrote.
"The next day after scans we found out that I have multiple fractures in my face, thankfully not requiring anything other than some rest."
An inspirational leader in the Black Ferns Sevens team, Sarah Hirini, left, made the crucial break in the gold medal match at the Paris Games. Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz
It was just the latest injury that Hirini sustained for her team.
At a Doha tournament in December 2023, she ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.
Nine months minimum is the time frame that athletes are usually given for an ACL rupture, but Hirini managed to get herself back in the selection frame for the Olympics in six-and-a-half months.
Following the Black Ferns' gold medal win, coach Corey Sweeney said he was "really proud" of the star.
"Not many people can do what she's just done."
The team was welcomed home to New Zealand on Friday.
