Fiji Wins Its First Olympic Gold And Immediately Declares Public Holiday

Fiji erupted in joy on Thursday after winning its first Olympic gold medal.

Emotions across the South Pacific nation ran high following the men’s rugby 7s team’s 43-7 demolition of Team Great Britain in the Rio 2016 final.

“They’re all celebrating , they’ve been celebrating for the last three days,” said Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of the scenes back home.

He later declared a national holiday on Aug. 22 to mark the momentous achievement.

“We are all proud to be Fijians right now,” Bainimarama added.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the rugby-obsessed country were glued to their screens as the match unfurled. Some businesses even opted to temporarily close so that their employees could witness what would potentially be an historic game.

After the final whistle, dancing erupted in the streets as thousands of flag-waving Fijians celebrated the astonishing triumph. And as hundreds of photographs and videos of the festivities were posted to Twitter, the #GoFijiGo hashtag began trending worldwide.

Check out some of the best posts:

For more Olympics coverage:

• 11 Weird Sports That Were Actually In The Olympics
• Roger Federer Posts Saddest Tweet Of The Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony
• This Is Why Lifeguards Are Patrolling The Olympic Pool At Rio 2016
• The Agony Of Olympic Defeat In 1 Heartbreaking Image
• Swimming Officials Show What The Olympics Should Be All About
• NSFW Lil Jon Song Inspires Aussie Swimmers To Olympic Gold