The world's media didn't pack in to see Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal or Michael Phelps but a Kiwi and quite literally the biggest name in rugby sevens.
Argentinian journalist Milagros Lay Gonzales knew who she wanted to hear from.
"How do you say the name?" she said.
"Ah, Willie, um, Williams. Yeah. Sonny Bill Williams."
And SBW didn't disappoint, the rugby player, the boxer, the league player, the Olympian and now the joker of the athletes village.
"It’s funny you know, everything is pretty much free," he said.
"There is maccas (McDonalds) open, Reiko (Ioane) visited there a couple of times already."
After satisfying his own hunger, today's job was to satisfy the media's.
And there was a hefty appetite as it was the team's first media conference on Brazilian soil.
"As an athlete, there's no higher level than the Olympics, so I'm just fortunate enough that Titch (Gordon Tietjens) gave me a shot at the start of the year."
Fiji poses the biggest threat to the New Zealand side but having lost a couple of kilos and increasing his fitness levels, Williams says he's ready for the challenge.
"Being involved with the sevens, I had to put myself in that environment for the whole year which has paid dividends now that I feel really good, feel really fit."
Jacob brown / Newshub.
