In an electrifying showdown in Chengdu, the Chinese women's 3×3 basketball team narrowly missed gold, falling 18-17 to Australia in the final of the FIBA 3×3 Women's Series on Saturday. 🏀🔥
Fielding an unconventional lineup, China showcased a mix of seasoned Olympians and rising stars. Wan Jiyuan and Zhang Zhiting, veterans from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, teamed up with Chen Mingling and Chen Yujie, fresh off the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Of the quartet, only Chen Yujie played as a perimeter player—a rarity in 3×3 basketball! 😲
Despite dominating the rebounds, China's shooting woes proved costly against a sharp-shooting Australian side. \"We didn't have a reasonable squad and lacked enough…\" admitted Coach Xu Jiamin after the heart-stopping game. \"We chose an extreme style of playing in Chengdu. Of all injured players, Chen Yujie recovered the fastest. That's why we chose this roster.\"
But it's not all doom and gloom! 🌟 Coach Xu praised her team's fighting spirit and hinted at possibly reusing this bold strategy at the 2024 Paris Olympics. \"There's no regular, inflexible squad that can beat everyone in 3×3 basketball,\" she said. \"It's always about specific players. The team's system and style can be redesigned based on the players.\"
The future looks bright as Wang Lili, a key player from the bronze-winning squad at the Tokyo Olympics, may rejoin the team for the next stop of the series in Wuhan at the end of June. 🎉
With their never-say-die attitude and willingness to shake things up, the Chinese women's 3×3 team is definitely one to watch! 💪🏆
Reference(s):
China finish FIBA women's 3×3 Chengdu as runners-up with extreme squad
cgtn.com
