Richmond’s rugby sevens star Nate Hirayama may be making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, but the 33-year-old is by no means a stranger to the big occasion.
Hirayama has represented Canada at several big events, including three Commonwealth Games and three Pan American Games, winning two gold medal and one silver.
He is also Canada’s greatest points scorer in rugby sevens and, at the end of the 2020 season, he sat third all-time in the World Rugby Sevens Series scoring with 1,859 points and leads Canada in tries (147) and matches played (363).
In his Zoom video interview with the Richmond News, Hirayama talks about his personal and team preparations ahead of flying out to Japan and he explains why his nickname is “Spicy Nate.”
He also talks up Canada’s outside chances of reaching the podium.
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