Amasio Valence (born 12 May 1979) is a former
rugby sevens player. He was born in
Nadi, Fiji, but after he first made his break into professional rugby in 2000, he switched allegiances to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. He was hailed as one of the most promising players in the discipline in recent years. Valence is the only New Zealander to have won three gold medals in rugby sevens at the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
; in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
,
2002 and
2006, a testament to his longevity in the game. He last played for New Zealand in 2008.
While Valence played rugby, his entire family enjoyed
soccer, with his older brother,
Nikola Raoma being picked for the
national side of Fiji in 2002.
References
Interview on Urbanwire*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valence, Amasio Raoma
1979 births
Living people
Fijian rugby union players
Rugby union fly-halves
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand
Rugby sevens players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Rugby sevens players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Rugby sevens players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of New Zealand
New Zealand international rugby sevens players
Fijian emigrants to New Zealand
I-Taukei Fijian people
Fijian expatriates in New Zealand
Sportspeople from Nadi
Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens
New Zealand male rugby sevens players