The German 3×3 basketball team made history at their Olympic debut and took the throne at their first attempt.
The sensation was perfect, Svenja Brunckhorst and her teammates jumped around the court like they were on a roll. And even the greatest of German basketball became a simple fan.
Dirk Nowitzki grinned from ear to ear, he clapped with his arms raised, and then he hugged one after the other: Brunckhorst, Sonja Greinacher, Marie Reichert and Elisa Mevius – the German 3×3 basketball players had just made history and crowned their fairytale run at the Olympic Games with the gold medal.
The 17:16 against Spain in the final on the Place de la Concorde was the brilliant conclusion to an Olympic dream trip. “The full realization of what we have done here, what we have achieved for basketball and women’s basketball in Germany – that will only come later,” said Greinacher on “Eurosport”.
With the first ever Olympic medal for German basketball, the four German women said goodbye to the city where they had thrilled not only all the fans with their rousing performances. “Incredible!” said Nowitzki, “This is definitely historic.”
Dirk Nowitzki enthusiastic about 3×3 women
Just like the performances of the German team. After the sensational opening victory against the defending champions from the USA, the DBB team showed itself to be extremely solid in its Olympic debut and also survived difficult moments – not least in the semi-final on early Sunday evening.
The DBB team was four points behind against Canada at one point, but one second before the end Greinacher made the final perfect.
“It’s overwhelming. Who would have thought it,” said Reichert afterwards. And Nowitzki was also enthusiastic. It wasn’t just the atmosphere that was “great,” the NBA legend told “SID,” the former national player “definitely” wanted to keep his fingers crossed in the final.
Perfect end to Svenja Brunckhorst’s career
And it helped – even though the opponents also had prominent support, including NBA legend Pau Gasol and even Spain’s King Felipe.
The German team made it through the tournament with just one defeat, and their original underdog role was soon gone. After the surprising start, the German women had already assured that anything was possible. “You can dream, can’t you?” said Mevius. The dream came true.
The Olympic victory also marks the end of Brunckhorst’s career. For the 32-year-old, the tournament on the Place de la Concorde was the last in the national jersey. The 83-time national player originally wanted to compete in the classic five-a-side game in Paris. But the ambitious plan was not given the green light. Brunckhorst opted for streetball – and gave her career a crowning conclusion.
“This is the best conclusion I could have dreamed and hoped for, I will never forget it,” said Brunckhorst.
Source: www.sport.de
