{{Infobox rugby biography | image = Jerry Tuwai.jpg | caption = Tuwai in 2016 | full_name = Seremaia Tuwai Vunisa | honorific_suffix = MOF | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|3|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Suva, Fiji | height = 1.70 m | weight = 81 kg | ru_position = | amatyears1 = | amatteam1 = | years1 = | clubs1 = | apps1 = | points1 = | repyears1 = | repteam1 = | repcaps1 = | reppoints1 = | repsevensyears1 = 2014– | repsevensteam1 = Fiji | repsevenscomp1 = | medals = {{MedalSport|Men's rugby sevens}} {{MedalCountry|{{FIJ}}}} {{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}} {{MedalGold|2016 Rio de Janeiro|Team}} {{MedalGold|2020 Tokyo|Team}} {{MedalSilver|2024 Paris|Team}} {{MedalCompetition|Rugby Sevens World Cup}} {{MedalGold|2022 Cape Town|Team competition}} {{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}} {{MedalSilver|2018 Gold Coast|Team competition}} {{MedalSilver|2022 Birmingham|Team competition}} }} '''Seremaia Tuwai Vunisa''' {{post-nominals|list=MOF}} (born 23 March 1989), also known as '''Jerry Tuwai''', is a Fiji rugby union player who plays for the Fiji national rugby sevens team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fijivillage.com/sport/The-extraordinary-story-of-Jerry-Tuwai-k92r5s |title=The extraordinary story of Jerry Tuwai |author=Rusiate Baleilevuka |date=October 14, 2014 |publisher=Fiji Village}}</ref> Tuwai made his debut for {{nrut7|Fiji}} at the 2014 Gold Coast Sevens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fijione.tv/young-tuwai-ready-to-play-for-fiji/ |title=Young Tuwai ready to play for Fiji |author=Akuila Cama |date=9 October 2014 |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=283206 |title=Unknown Tuwai stands out in Gold Coast tournament |author=Kameli Rakoko |date=15 October 2014 |access-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103403/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=283206 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was part of the Fiji Sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rwcsevens.com/video/538731|title=Video | Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022|access-date=2019-11-14|archive-date=2019-11-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114213659/https://www.rwcsevens.com/video/538731|url-status=dead}}</ref>
He was awarded player of the tournament at the 2014 World Club 7s where he played for the Davetalevu Club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=277273 |title=Tuwai named player of the tournament |author=Jo Kunaluvea |date=14 August 2014 |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref> He was also Player of the Final at the 2015 Dubai Sevens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ur7s.com/news/jerry-tuwai-dazzles-and-and-sparkles-to-win-hsbc-player-of-the-final-in-dubai |title=Jerry Tuwai dazzles and sparkles to win HSBC Player of the Final in Dubai |date=7 December 2015 |access-date=18 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222100655/http://ur7s.com/news/jerry-tuwai-dazzles-and-and-sparkles-to-win-hsbc-player-of-the-final-in-dubai |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Tuwai was also the stand out player at the 2015 Las Vegas Sevens final when {{nrut7|Fiji}} beat {{nrut7|New Zealand}} 35-19.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-news/fijian-star-crushes-all-blacks-sevens-in-las-vegas-final-6235874 |title=Fijian star crushes All Blacks Sevens in Las Vegas final |author=ONE News |author-link=One News (New Zealand) |date=16 February 2015 |access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref>
== Background == Tuwai was born in Newtown, a poor district in the outskirts of Suva, Fiji, to Poasa Vunisa and Seruwaia Vualiku. He was raised in a one bedroom corrugated iron house. Since rugby balls and sporting equipment were relatively expensive, a young Jerry would improvise by using empty water bottles or bundled up t-shirts. In his early teen years, he would often accompany his father for fishing trips and selling their wares by the roadside: a routine which he defines as "a very hard job". He then admits later on, that although he regrets dropping out of school, the rewards of his hard work on the field and back home are an equitable trade.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DU6RCM_g_I|access-date=2020-07-06|website=The Rugby Player from Fiji Who Conquered the World {{!}} Against All Odds| date=14 March 2020 }}</ref>
== Domestic rugby career == Tuwai grew up playing rugby in his school, but only took to the sport seriously at 18, after dropping volleyball.<ref>{{Cite web|author=George Ramsay and Christina Macfarlane|title=Jerry Tuwai: The rugby captain raised in a one-room home|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/17/sport/jerry-tuwai-seruwaia-vualiku-fiji-rugby-spt-intl/index.html|access-date=2020-07-06|website=CNN|date=17 May 2018 }}</ref> At that age he joined Newtown Rugby Club, his local club, where he quickly excelled for his speed and side stepping, which set him apart from the other players, according to his coach at the time, Meli Nakalivadra.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50PaG_o21CQ|access-date=2020-07-06|website=The Rugby Player from Fiji Who Conquered the World {{!}} Against All Odds| date=5 November 2016 }}</ref>
He was subsequently invited to join Marist Rugby Club's Sevens team, against whom he impressed during a match played in Suva. There he played well enough to get in the radar of the national sevens team's coaching staff and was subsequently invited to train with the national sevens squad, but only lasted one camp, before being discarded for being "too small to play international rugby".<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50PaG_o21CQ|access-date=2020-07-06|website=The Rugby Player from Fiji Who Conquered the World {{!}} Against All Odds| date=5 November 2016 }}</ref>
== International rugby career == After two years, then Fiji Sevens coach Ben Ryan saw him playing in the Marist sevens, the biggest annual club tournament in Fiji, and invited him to train with the national squad, letting him know that he had to work hard on his all-round rugby skills if he was to play for Fiji, citing his low work rate off the ball as an issue to address, while also noting his insufficient training foundations. As a consequence of his lack of fitness, Tuwai would often quit training when it got too hard, even getting to the point where he was hiding in the bushes during sprints in order to skip training.
As Ryan recalls, ''"He was painfully shy. For a week I don’t think he uttered a word to anyone. And he was dreadfully unfit, with apparently minimal motivation to improve. He couldn’t get through a single training session without breaking down exhausted. A lot of the time he wouldn’t even turn up for a training session (...) He was full of excuses: I couldn’t get to training, I missed the bus; I was ill, I couldn’t move. When we did fitness drills in the sessions he did get to, his chin would always be on his chest as he ran. When he wasn’t running he was hiding in the bushes. He couldn’t understand the intensity of the work we were doing and he couldn’t connect it with the rugby that he loved to play. "''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ryan|first=Ben|title=Sevens Heaven: The beautiful chaos of Fiji's Olympic dream|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|year=2019|isbn=978-1474608251|pages=143 (eBook version)}}</ref>
Despite this, Ryan saw his potential and took him under his wing in order for him to thrive in the ultra-competitive environment of professional sport, from fitness to nutrition, rest and mental skills. Tuwai credits Ryan for changing his mindset and preparing him for the rigours of being a professional rugby player and helping him get to that next level mentally and physically.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50PaG_o21CQ|access-date=2020-07-06|website=The Rugby Player from Fiji Who Conquered the World {{!}} Against All Odds| date=5 November 2016 }}</ref>
He made his debut for Fiji Sevens at the 2014 Gold Coast Sevens in Australia. His performance was praised by Ryan, saying that it was one of the best debuts that he had ever seen from a Sevens player. By the end of the season, he was named the best rookie of the sevens circuit season by World Rugby.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVau0xKy-4Q|access-date=2020-07-06|website=Fiji's Jerry Tuwai wins Rookie of the Year!| date=17 May 2015 }}</ref>
Tuwai was an integral part of the Fiji Sevens squad that competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where they beat Brasil, the USA, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan to qualify for the Olympic Rugby Sevens final, where they beat Great Britain by 43-7.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Tom McGowan|title=Fiji wins first ever Olympic gold medal|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/11/sport/fiji-rugby-olympics-sevens-rio-2016/index.html|access-date=2020-07-06|website=CNN|date=11 August 2016 }}</ref> It was the first time Fiji had won an Olympic medal, and gave the whole country something to cheer on after the devastation caused by Cyclone Winston, which hit Fiji in february of that same year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-02-22|title=Tropical Cyclone Winston Slams Fiji|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87562/tropical-cyclone-winston-slams-fiji|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305092405/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87562/tropical-cyclone-winston-slams-fiji|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-03-05|access-date=2020-07-06|website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov|language=en}}</ref>
Tuwai was part of the Fiji sevens team that won a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tavi |first1=Karalaini |title=Fiji 7's squad named for Birmingham Games |url=https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/sports/rugby/fiji-7s-squad-named/ |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=fbcnews.com.fj |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802201825/https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/sports/rugby/fiji-7s-squad-named/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fiji Rugby names squads for Commonwealth Games Sevens |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/470453/fiji-rugby-names-squads-for-commonwealth-games-sevens |access-date=2 August 2022 |website=rnz.co.nz|date=6 July 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Prasad |first=Vashneel |date=2022-08-01 |title=Team Fiji Men's and Women's teams settle for silver medals at Commonwealth Games |url=https://www.fijirugby.com/team-fiji-mens-and-womens-teams-settle-for-silver-medals-at-commonwealth-games/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=Official Website of Fiji Rugby Union |language=en}}</ref> He also won a gold medal at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baleilevuka |first=Rusiate |date=2022-09-01 |title=Fiji Men's 7s World Cup squad named |url=https://www.fijivillage.com/news/Fiji-Mens-7s-World-Cup-squad-named-4frx85/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=www.fijivillage.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Prasad |first=Vashneel |date=2022-08-22 |title=Gollings names Fiji Airways Fijian 7s extended squad for LA 7s and the World Cup |url=https://www.fijirugby.com/gollings-names-fiji-airways-fijian-7s-extended-squad-for-la-7s-and-the-world-cup/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=Official Website of Fiji Rugby Union |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-12 |title=Fiji wins men's title at South Africa 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens while Australia claim women's crown |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/rugby-sevens-2022-world-cup-sevens-championship-finals-results |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=olympics.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Coetzee |first=Dylan |date=2022-09-12 |title=Rugby World Cup Sevens: Fiji and Australia claim gold in Cape Town |url=https://www.planetrugby.com/news/rugby-world-cup-sevens-fiji-and-australia-claim-gold-in-cape-town |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=PlanetRugby |language=en}}</ref>
He was part of the Fijian side that won a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris becoming the most decorated Olympian in Fiji's history.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Prasad |first=Vashneel |date=2021-07-04 |title=Fijian Rugby Sevens teams named for Tokyo Olympic Games |url=https://www.fijirugby.com/fijian-rugby-sevens-teams-named-for-tokyo-olympic-games/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Official Website of Fiji Rugby Union |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Fiji - Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Paris 2024 |url=https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/olympics/paris-2024/participating-nations/fiji |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=www.world.rugby}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Fiji claims Olympic silver medal after losing to France in rugby sevens final |url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/paris-olympics-rugby-sevens-final-fiji-france/104151000 |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=ABC Pacific |language=en-AU}}</ref>
== Playing style == Tuwai is known for his agility, sharp decision-making and his ability to step defenders without losing speed. He's also notable for his commitment for the physical side of the game, being a force at the breakdown and making an impact with his defence, despite being small for an average professional rugby player.<ref>{{Cite web|author=George Ramsay and Christina Macfarlane|title=Jerry Tuwai: The rugby captain raised in a one-room home|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/17/sport/jerry-tuwai-seruwaia-vualiku-fiji-rugby-spt-intl/index.html|access-date=2020-07-06|website=CNN|date=17 May 2018 }}</ref> This has led Fiji Sevens legend Waisale Serevi to declare that Tuwai's even a better player than he was in his prime<ref>{{Cite web|title=Why Jerry Tuwai Is Better: Serevi|url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/06/14/why-jerry-tuwai-is-better-serevi/|access-date=2020-07-06|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707071252/https://fijisun.com.fj/2020/06/14/why-jerry-tuwai-is-better-serevi/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Personal life == Tuwai credits his parents for his achievements on the rugby field, and cites them as his main motivation to perform and achieve accolades in rugby. When he was young, Tuwai's parents saved enough money to buy him his first pair of rugby boots. As she handed them over Tuwai's mother told him "this is your knife and fork". Tuwai declared "I did not know my Mum was saving some money for my rugby boots. I couldn’t believe it because I knew they weren’t earning big money. They bought me these boots and my mum told me 'this is your life – this is your knife and your fork.' It really touched me and from that time until now I always write on my boots when I am about to play – knife and fork."{{citation needed|date=March 2026}}
“When I get tired and want to give up I just picture our house and my parents and I am working for them. I just picture my Mum working and my Dad working hard on the farm.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-15|title=Why the World's best sevens player has knife and fork written on his boots|url=https://www.rugbypass.com/news/jerry-tuwai-fiji-sevens-knife-and-fork-written-on-his-boots|access-date=2020-07-06|website=RugbyPass|language=en}}</ref>
Tuwai has credited his parents for keeping him grounded and humble. He goes back regularly to Newtown, the place where he grew up. A religious and upstanding man, Jerry hopes that his accomplishments will inspire the younger generation of his hometown.<ref>{{Cite web|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50PaG_o21CQ|access-date=2020-07-06|website=The Rugby Player from Fiji Who Conquered the World {{!}} Against All Odds| date=5 November 2016 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{sports links}} * {{SR/Olympics profile|tu/jerry-tuwai-1}} * {{Facebook|Jerrytuwaiofficial}} * [http://www.zimbio.com/Jerry+Tuwai Jerry Tuwai] at Zimbio * [http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=277273 Tuwai named player of the tournament] * [http://www.follow-rugby.com/videos/2635/category/HitsTriesSkills/1/VINE-Fiji-coach-Ben-Ryan-records-Jerry-Tuwais-unbelievable-sidestep Ryan records Jerry Tuwai's unbelievable sidestep] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120513/http://www.follow-rugby.com/videos/2635/category/HitsTriesSkills/1/VINE-Fiji-coach-Ben-Ryan-records-Jerry-Tuwais-unbelievable-sidestep |date=2015-04-02 }}
{{Fiji rugby sevens squad 2016 Summer Olympics}} {{Fiji rugby sevens squad 2020 Summer Olympics}} {{Fiji men's sevens squad 2024 Summer Olympics}} {{World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuwai, Jerry}} Category:Living people Category:Fijian rugby union players Category:Fiji international rugby sevens players Category:1989 births Category:Rugby union players from Suva Category:Rugby union centres Category:Rugby union wings Category:Pacific Islanders rugby union players Category:I-Taukei Fijian people Category:Fijian people of I-Taukei Fijian descent Category:Rugby union fly-halves Category:Rugby union fullbacks Category:Male rugby sevens players Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic rugby sevens players for Fiji Category:Olympic gold medalists for Fiji Category:Olympic medalists in rugby sevens Category:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in rugby sevens Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Fiji Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Category:Rugby sevens players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic silver medalists for Fiji Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics