USA women maintain perfect record with eighth consecutive basketball gold to knock China off medal perch
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Updated 11/08/2024 at 18:10 GMT+1
The day after the US men clinched a fifth consecutive gold medal, the women's team were on for an unprecedented eighth title in a row. But they had a tough task with hosts France hoping to make history and become champions for the very first time. Gabby Williams' last-gasp two was not enough to bridge a three-point gap as a see-saw match reached a dramatic conclusion.
Wilson reflects on hugely dramatic basketball gold for USA in final with France
Video credit: TNT Sports
The USA women's basketball team clung on to seal a dramatic gold medal in the final event of Paris 2024, defeating hosts France 67-66 and knocking China off their medal table perch.
An eighth consecutive gold medal was on the line for the US, as well as the chance to eclipse China at the top of the Paris 2024 medal table in the Games' very last event.
They became the first team in any sport and of any gender to win an eighth straight title in the history of the Olympics and extended their unbeaten run to 61 games.
After picking up her second Olympic title, A'ja Wilson was unable to process the magnitude of their achievement.
"Wait until we get onto the podium, when tears are falling and I see my family, I think that's when it's really going to sink in. But it's pretty cool to say I'm a two-time gold medallist," Wilson told Eurosport.
"Man, I wish I could put into words but I don't think I will ever remember that second half until a couple weeks. It's all a blur right now.
"We were just resilient in what we needed to do, we kept going, we were bucket-for-bucket, which is what I think people want to see.
"Keep the main thing the main thing, which is getting the gold, whatever it takes. Getting the 50-50 balls, doing the little things that may not show up on the stat sheets, that's what's going to go forever.
"We continued to do that in the second half and it just started to fall into our hands. They made tough shots, but that's all a part of the game."
For France, a maiden Olympic title was on offer and the chance to avenge the men's defeat to a star-studded American team the day before.
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It was not to be for the hosts, who were drawing 55-55 deep into the fourth quarter and were within one point with just 3.8 seconds remaining.
USA MVP Wilson sunk a game-high 21 points, with 13 rebounds, while France's Gabby Williams hit 19 points, including a last-gasp long two that needed to be three for the hosts to snatch a draw.
Williams and the French coaches initially thought the US-born star had forced overtime with her buzzer-beater, but Williams' foot was judged to be inside the arc.
A partisan home crowd had full belief that a shock could be on the cards when France held a 10-point advantage in the third quarter.
Diana Taurasi, who became the most decorated Olympic basketball player with her sixth gold medal, had singled out the French as a team to watch at the beginning of the Games.
“I think one team no one’s really talked about is France in France,” Taurasi told reporters on July 27.
People will certainly be talking about France now, who played their part in a gripping, if sloppy, contest.
The US shooting success rate of 34% was not impressive, but edged France's 32%, while they also committed 19 turnovers.
But the quality was secondary to the drama on show, with the teams refusing to be separated from 25-25 at half-time to 45-45 at the start of the fourth quarter.
And even at the buzzer, French and American fans alike held their breath to see whether Williams had sunk a sublime equaliser. But it was not to be for France, who could only watch on as Team USA celebrated.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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