- German women's 3x3 in the Olympic final - medal sure
The German 3x3 women's basketball team makes a sensational debut at the Olympics, securing a medal by reaching the final. Led by national player Svenja Brunckhorst, the team won the semi-final thriller against co-favorite Canada 16:15 in Paris and will play for gold against Spain later today (22:00 CET) in the atmospheric stadium at Place de la Concorde. Spain had previously defeated the USA 18:16 in overtime.
In the presence of German basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki, the debutants Brunckhorst, Sonja Greinacher, Elisa Mevius, and Marie Reichert achieved their seventh win in eight games with a strong performance, also making history for the German Basketball Federation (DBB), which had never won an Olympic medal before.
Against Canada, the team had a poor start and fell behind early. However, they showed great resilience and, led by the strong Greinacher, went on a 5:0 run that put Germany in the lead. Greinacher then sank the winning shot in the final phase.
"Unbelievable for our girls"
Nowitzki was cheering on the German team from the sidelines, enthusiastically singing along to "Sweet Caroline". Brunckhorst, Greinacher, Mevius, and Reichert have now achieved something that Nowitzki has not: an Olympic medal. They were considered underdogs going into the tournament.
"This is unprecedented for our girls. It's an incredible achievement," said DBB President Ingo Weiss to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The federation's performance was already a great success before the final, and now they have the chance to be crowned champions. Germany had previously beaten Spain 18:15 in the group stage.
After securing a thrilling semi-final victory against Canada, Germany is set to face Spain in the gold medal match. Despite previously losing to Spain in the group stage, Germany managed to turn the tables and defeat the USA in overtime.
Regardless of the outcome of the final match, Spain's strong performance in the Olympics should not be overlooked, having previously defeated both the USA and Germany in impressive displays of basketball.
