Tokyo (AFP)

Like the American basketball players just before them, the Latvian basketball players on Wednesday became the first Olympic champions in the history of 3x3, a discipline characterized by its intensity and frantic pace, which made a successful debut at the Tokyo Games.

The heroes of their respective countries, pioneers of their now fully Olympic sport are called Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, Stefanie Dolson and Jacquelyn Young for "Team USA", Nauris Miezis, Karlis Lasmanis, Edgars Krumins and Agnis Cavars for "Team Latvia".

They were great ambassadors, just like their opponents who made life difficult for them in the finals.

# photo1

Among the men, after a removed and undecided match, the Latvians created a surprise at the expense of the Russians (21-18), who had created an even greater one, earlier at the Aomi Urban Sports Park, in discarding the big favorite Serbia, with in its ranks the star of the discipline Dusan Bulut, and finally bronze medalist at the expense of Belgium (21-10).

# photo2

The hero was named Lasmanis, author of ten points whose shoot behind the arc, which brings in two points, allowed to wait for the total of 21, the bar to be reached in this discipline whose matches last ten minutes.

Two minutes earlier Niezis had also hit the mark at long distance to restore the advantage to his team.

So in two minutes, also facing a fierce opposing defense, Russia has let slip the title.

Among the women, shortly before, the players of Team USA kept their rank of favorites, disposing of Russia (18-15).

A success with a similar score, but which was slightly less complicated to win than that obtained in a very hard fight at the end of the afternoon against France (18-16), during the semi-finals.

# photo3

The latter, passed very close to the feat, did not really recover and lost (16-14) the match for third place against China, who won bronze.

Gold is therefore around the neck of the Americans, who had a particularly homogeneous team, with four players playing in the North American Championship in 5x5 (WNBA).

Kelsey Plum put the United States into orbit, scoring her team's first five points.

She finished top scorer in the tournament (55 pts).

As in almost every game, the imposing pivot Stephanie Dolson spoke about her size (1.95 m) and her power.

And she hurt the Russians under the panel (7 pts, 9 rebounds).

3x3 basketball will be at the Paris Olympics again in 2024.

© 2021 AFP