Antoine Dupont celebrates with his gold medal after France’s rugby sevens Olympic triumph at the Paris Games (CARL DE SOUZA)
French rugby hero Antoine Dupont spent the tail end of his post-Olympics vacation checking out the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers but said he does not see a shift to American football in his future.
“It’s the best way to spend a vacation, being able to work, too, discovering some pretty cool things,” Dupont told AFP and L’Equipe after spending some time touring the Chargers facilities, watching practice and taking part in some “skills” drills that included working on footwork with kicker Cameron Dicker.
Dupont, already seen by many as the world’s best 15-a-side rugby player, inspired France to a historic 28-7 victory over two-time Olympic champions Fiji in the Olympic rugby sevens final in Paris.
He is expected to begin training next week with Toulouse, the team he helped to a record 23rd French league title and a sixth Champions Cup crown last year.
He said his glimpse of the Chargers’ operation was instructive.
“You can see how demanding the guys are on a daily basis, even down to the cafeteria, where there are menus for dietary supplements, the weight room, the locker room, right down to the choice of cleats,” said Dupont, who swapped jerseys with Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack.
But Dupont, who was planning to attend the Chargers’ game on Sunday against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, said he did not see himself following in the footsteps of Welsh rugby international Louis Rees-Zammit, who is trying his luck in the NFL this year.
“No, I think it’s still a long way from rugby, I’d really have to spend a lot of time on it,” he said. “And to be honest, I don’t even have a position I could project myself into.”
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