Francois Hougaard's act of generosity gets rewarded with Olympic medal

South Africa international Francois Hougaard has been rewarded with an Olympic bronze medal for his act of generosity in the recently concluded sevens rugby tournament in Rio.

Hougaard was a late addition to the squad after his teammate Seabelo Senatla suffered a wrist injury on day two of the tournament. After defeating Japan in the play-off, Hougaard handed over his bronze medal to Senatla, who was observing his teammates create history from the stands.

To honour the 28-year-old's generosity, board members of South Africa along with the organsiers of the Rio 2016 decided to reward him with another bronze medal.

The Springboks scrum-half was completely moved by the gesture and thanked everyone involved for making it happen.

"This is a wonderful surprise and something I really didn't expect," said Hougaard, who has made 35-Test appearance for South Africa.

"When I gave the medal the Seabelo, I felt he deserved it more than I did, and I still feel so, but having played a part in Rio, I'm very grateful to have received this medal and I would like to thank everyone involved in making it possible.

"It's something I will cherish for many years as one of the best moments of my rugby career."