2024-04-15 09:02:27
The Azerbaijani women’s basketball team in the 3×3 format has achieved a phenomenal achievement. The team won a license for the Olympics on the first try, winning the tournament in Hong Kong. Thus, our country will be represented for the first time at the main competition of the four-year anniversary in team sports.
According to İdman.biz, in different years, the women’s volleyball and field hockey teams had a chance to make it to the Games, which also played in qualifying tournaments, but could not realize their Olympic dream. And now the women’s 3×3 team has managed to do this, which brilliantly held the tournament in Hong Kong, winning a strong-willed victory over Poland in the final – 18:17.
The team held the tournament with inspiration, and to some extent justified its status as a “dark horse”, as the International Basketball Federation described it before the start of the competition. At the same time, the FIVB gave preference to the Netherlands and Mongolia in the group, but our basketball players beat the latter in the subgroup (13:12), and the defeat from the Netherlands (11:15) did not interfere with the original plans, since by this time both teams were guaranteed a place in the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, the team consisting of Dina Ulyanova, Tiffany Hayes, Alexandra Mollenhauer and Mercedes Walker beat Hungary – 21:19. The knockout factor left its mark on the game; the fight was quite tight. But the ending of the match remained with our team, which met Poland in the final.
In the decisive match, where a ticket to the Olympics was at stake, the future winners showed excellent moral and volitional qualities.
Losing during the match, Ratomir Dalic’s team achieved victory in overtime – 18:17. Alexandra Mollenhauer scored the decisive point by responding to Dina Ulyanova’s pass.
So, dreams have become reality. “Every kid dreams of playing at the Olympics and I’m going there,” Tiffany Hayes noted after the match. She injured her hand during the final, but later returned to the game.
The Azerbaijani national team realized its Olympic chance on the first try and saved itself from participating in the second qualifying tournament in Debrecen (Hungary) in May.
Now you can calmly prepare for the main start of your career – the Summer Games in Paris.
Zaki Feyzullaev
İdman.biz