He was elected, as at the Tokyo Games, in the best five of the Euro. But frankly, Rudy Gobert doesn’t care about it as his first pair of sneakers. He can not digest the defeat in the final (88-76) against Spain, he who dreamed of gold. Fed to victory and nothing else, the giant is sad and disappointed.
What is the feeling that drives you?
RUDY GOBERT. We are coming out of a frustrating match, very frustrating. From start to finish we were behind the Spaniards. We made “runs” to come back to the score, but we chased after them for 40 minutes. They really aren’t the most fun games to play.
What went wrong?
We came across a team that made a good start. The best players were “hot”, they got everything everywhere. We did everything to get back together, we put all our energy into it, but it didn’t work.
Why did Spain dominate you?
They changed their defense a lot, we struggled to find our rhythm. We knew it was going to happen like that because we know them. But when the match started, we couldn’t find each other. It was hard to move the ball around and the gap became big.
Is the disappointment greater than after the lost Olympic final last year?
Losing a final is never pleasant, it’s always a big, big disappointment. We lose two in a few months and it’s hard. However, there is no choice to be made: it is terrible in both cases.
How did you find your personal performance?
I have to be better. It’s up to me to be better, I know that. I found that I had not reassured my team enough. I take responsibility to come back even better so as not to miss the opportunity we had today (Sunday September 18).
Is there anything positive to keep after a lost final?
I am proud of the group, proud of the players, proud of the journey accomplished. The tenacity we showed during this campaign was remarkable. To make it even better, it’s up to me to come back stronger.
Are you angry or disappointed?
It’s more of a disappointment to miss that. Personally, it was a dream to win this title. To have a gold medal around your neck, in Tokyo or here in Berlin, would have been great. We didn’t make it far either way.
You threw the medal on the podium, right?
I didn’t pay attention at the time but yeah, maybe. I’m tired of the silver medals, of losing in the final. I’m proud of our journey, I really insist, but it’s not the end we wanted.