'Different gravy' - the Londoner who won gold with Dupont

It is simply a building that Aaron Grandidier Nkanang admits is difficult to construe for his France Sevens team-mates.

"Just different gravy," he says.

"Running retired connected to nan transportation for nan first game, looking up astatine a packed Stade de France, 70,000 people. I had goosebumps. It was unbelievable."

Three days later though, travel nan Paris 2024 gold-medal match, nan 24-year-old Londoner recovered precisely nan correct words.

He regathered Fiji's kick-off, flicked nan shot into Antoine Dupont's hands and, 10 seconds later, took a return walk to plunge complete nan statement for a pivotal try.

As he was engulfed by team-mates, he pointed down astatine nan turf and yelled into nan crowd.

"I was virtually saying: 'C'est maintenant!' Which means: 'It's now!'"

"I was conscionable hyped, you don't think, that worldly conscionable comes out."

And it came retired perfectly.

France had seized nan moment, nan momentum and nan medal. Grandidier Nkanang, Dupont and their team, 1 which had grounded to moreover suffice for Tokyo, had won nan hosts' first golden of nan Games.

For Grandidier Nkanang, nan agelong roadworthy to nan metropolis of lights started connected Turnpike Lane.

It was there, successful Haringey, northbound London, that his British-Nigerian begetter Nick Nkanang and his French mother Estelle Grandidier met successful nan early 1990s.

By nan clip Aaron was born, 5 months into a caller millennium, they had moved southbound of nan river, but London was ever home.

Rugby wasn't connected nan radar: Grandidier Nkanang's begetter was into cycling and martial arts, while his mother did yoga.

And Aaron wasn't connected rugby's radar.

He first touched nan oval shot aged 11, erstwhile he started astatine a section grammar schoolhouse and recovered it nan ascendant sport.

Left down by his class-mates' maturation spurts and struggling to get to grips pinch nan rules, he past stopped playing for 2 years. He missed different play done injury, reverting backmost to his first emotion of basketball.

It was only astatine nan property of 16 - a constituent wherever different prospects are already locked into pathways and master clubs - that he started to return it seriously, uncovering he had caught up physically and his clip connected tribunal had sharpened his footwork and handling.

He roseate accelerated and steep - acing tests for Kent, London and nan South East and England Counties - excelling astatine each level.

"I ever knew I wanted to beryllium a sportsman," says Grandidier Nkanang.

"I loved competing and nan thought of nan lifestyle, and I conscionable locked connected to rugby arsenic my route."

Until nan way ran into a dormant end.

"I scored 2 tries successful a triumph complete Ireland Schools and Clubs and nan England Counties coaches said location were group watching nan game.

"I really hoped I was going to get immoderate traction, but location was nothing.

"I heard London Scottish mightiness beryllium interested, Leicester Tigers - but it ended up being conscionable rumours and echoes."

After a twelvemonth astatine university, Grandidier Nkanang took matters into his ain hands. He contacted a rugby agent, showed them his showreel and his French passport and asked them to make enquiries.

He sewage much than echoes back. He visited Brive, Toulon, Castres and Oyonnax. He signed pinch Brive, mentioned his Sevens acquisition and nan French selectors were soon connected nan phone.

His astir celebrated Paris 2024 team-mate was nan past into nan squad. Dupont, France's quicksilver 15-a-side captain, amazed nan rugby world erstwhile he swapped nan 2024 Six Nations for a changeable astatine seven-a-side Olympic glory.

He continued to astonishment erstwhile he arrived pinch France Sevens.

"He was ever going to beryllium a beast, I ne'er had immoderate doubts," reflects Grandidier Nkanang.

"I thought it was going to return him rather a spot longer though. But he was unreal consecutive away.

"He came successful pinch truthful overmuch respect for america and nan subject itself, which we really appreciated.

"He took a backmost seat, asking questions, learning, watching and talking. Even earlier joining america physically he had been watching video footage and learning nan play calls.

"It was a existent testament to nan benignant of subordinate and bloke he is."

Now, it is Grandidier Nkanang's move to impressment successful a caller environment. He is backmost successful nan 15-a-side crippled having signed pinch Top 14 broadside Pau, wherever erstwhile Exeter brace Joe Simmonds and Harry Williams and erstwhile England scrum-half Dan Robson besides ply their trade.

"There are a batch of small habits from Sevens that I request to robust retired nan game, it is going to beryllium a large learning curve to get to that level," he says.

"The biggest point for maine is timing my tally successful onslaught and, connected nan different broadside of nan ball, defending a area alternatively than man to man, peculiarly erstwhile location is simply a batch much activity successful beforehand of you."

If he tin get it right, his purpose is to prime up a 15-a-side headdress to spell pinch his seven-a-side neckwear.

At nan Olympics, he wore boots base nan crests of his aged school, St Olaves, and his erstwhile English club, Old Elthamians.

But location is nary uncertainty astir nan colour of garment he is aiming for.

"Honestly, I wouldn't want to play for England anymore," he says.

"I do consciousness a batch of attachment to England - my family and friends are there, I grew up location truthful I still person a batch of emotion for it. But France has fixed maine everything professionally.

"My adjacent ambition is to beryllium capped successful 15s. It would beryllium a hellhole of a journey, but that is decidedly nan adjacent objective.

"I would beryllium disappointed successful myself if, aft each of this, I went to play for England. That wouldn't beryllium a bully point to do, for me, it is not really ethical."

Like immoderate of his slang, immoderate things are intolerable for Grandidier Nkanang to switch.