2024 Paris Olympics
Unexpected events are continuing. Just in case. The real "Dream Team" U.S. will collapse.
Belgium lost 69-83 in the first round of the women's basketball group stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics against Germany at Pierre Morua Stadium in Lille, France, on the 29th.
Belgium was considered a rival that could threaten the U.S. in this year's event. They were named the strongest team in Europe as the 2023 FIBA EuroBasket Champions.
Belgium also had a close game against the U.S. in the final qualifying round for the Paris Olympics in February by 79-81, two points. They won six warm-up matches compared to the Paris Olympics, raising expectations.
First, Belgium failed at the first match of the Paris Olympics. The opponent team was Germany, which is new to the Olympics, and had to accept the unexpected result. Of course, Germany is not considered the weakest team. There are "Sabali sisters" in the WNBA league, and Leonie Feibich is also a key player. Still, Belgium's loss is quite painful.
Belgium worked hard as Missman scored 25 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. And Julie Banlu (18 points, 6 assists) and Kiara Lynxkens added 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
However, Germany's Satou Sabally played an active role with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and Niara Sabally had 16 points and 5 rebounds.
On top of that, Fievich had 16 points, 3 rebounds and 5 steals, and Alexis Peterson had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.
Belgium did not fill the void left by its field commander Julie Alemant. Moreover, losing to Germany is not a good thing in Group C, which is considered the "Group of Death."
Earlier, Australia, ranked third in the FIBA rankings, also collapsed on the same day. It lost to Nigeria, an African powerhouse, 62-75.
The result is shocking. Despite the absence of Rebecca Allen's injury, Australia seemed certain to win the match against Nigeria. Australia has never lost in its last showdown.
In Australia, Elena Smith scored 15 points and seven rebounds, Jade Melbourne scored 11 points, and Sammy Witcom worked hard with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, but failed to stop Nigeria's offensive.
Nigeria's Ejine Kalu had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and Promise Amukamara had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Amy Okonquo (13 points and 3 rebounds), Murjanath Musa (11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals), and Elizabeth Balogan (9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) also shone.
Nigeria won the Olympics for the first time in 20 years after winning the ranking match against South Korea at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
It was an unexpected result. China, which had shown poor performance throughout the warm-up match on the first day of the championship, pushed Spain, but lost due to lack of confidence. Serbia had a great victory over Puerto Rico, the weakest team, after a friendly match.
On top of that, Belgium and Australia also collapsed. The women's basketball competition at the Paris Olympics is drawing a flurry of unexpected results and processes. As a result, attention is focusing on the U.S., which won seven consecutive games from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Unlike men's basketball, the U.S. women's basketball team has never lost at the 21st Century Olympics. Since its victory in the bronze medal match at the Barcelona Olympics, it has continued to win 55 consecutive Olympic games.
Of course, the United States has no rival in women's basketball. Women's basketball is very overwhelming and has maintained a wide gap so far at a time when men's basketball has won four consecutive games and is back on its feet looking at five consecutive losses. 토토사이트 추천
However, the flow of the games itself is strange. Furthermore, the U.S. first opponent is Japan, which it met three years ago in the final of the Tokyo Olympics. At this point, it is hard to predict what kind of process and outcome the U.S. will have.
This adds to the fun. If the U.S. collapses, it will likely become a chaotic women's basketball game at the Olympics.