Rieko Ioane

Rio 2016 was Rieko's first Olympic Games.

The young and lanky speedster only made his debut as a 17-year old in Wellington in 2015 where he helped the team to victory over England in the Final, scoring two tries. In the past season alone Ioane's pace and strength saw him shred defensive lines 28 times, the seventh highest total, even though his commitments to the Blues meant he only played four out of ten tournaments in 2015/16. 

Hailing from Auckland Grammar, Ioane came to national attention when he captained New Zealand Secondary Schools to victory over their counterparts from Fiji and Australia in 2014. His skills saw him win a Super Rugby contract with the Blues in 2016, following in his brother Akira’s footsteps. 

Rugby is in his blood, being the son of former rugby international players Eddie and Sandra. So is collecting sports shoes in his spare time.