Women's basketball
Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Round 3
Canada and Japan 82-86 (20-20, 26-30, 21-20, 15-16)
Sopron. a: Anaya (Panama), Horozov (Bulgarian), Sernobi (Egyptian)
Best shooters: Carlton 19/6, Fields 17/3, resp. E. Mafuli 9/21, Yamamoto 9/21
Later
17.30: Hungary-Spain (TV: M4 Sport) – Live on NSO!
summary
Those who were expecting teams to be shaken by the stakes must have been surprised by how poorly Canada and Japan, the penultimate Olympic qualifying match in Sopron, got off to a bad start. Both teams tried valiantly, the Japanese came up with some great moves, and the score was 20-20 after the first quarter.
Japan pulled away in the second quarter, gaining momentum, and its national team captain, Toru Onzuka, unexpectedly called time when he was leading by seven points. This did not have a particular impact on what happened, as the teams could go to the 15-minute break with an Asian advantage of 50-46. At the start of the third quarter, the Canadiens knocked down offensive rebounds six times on one of their drives, and for the seventh time they finally scored from near the hoop. It was an incredible spectacle, and as the excitement built, the Maple Leafs flipped, then were at a disadvantage again, the result unexpected.
Anyway, we saw a very impressive encounter, and we couldn't complain, if only because in the fourth quarter (in a fairly big battle anyway) the Japanese came out on top (the last three points were scored by the great Yamamoto Mai). Who thus qualified for the Paris Olympics, while we certainly have to beat Spain.
| Group position | M | Gee | Fifth | DP-KP | s |
| 1. Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 247-238 | 5 |
| 2. Canada | 3 | 1 | 2 | 204-201 | 4 |
| 3. Hungary | 2 | 1 | 1 | 136-142 | 3 |
| 4. Spain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 135-141 | 3 |
date
At the moment, there are many question marks, but if the Canadian team, ranked fourth in the world, defeats Olympic silver holder Japan, the Hungarian team will qualify for the Paris Olympics regardless of the result of the subsequent match against the Spaniards. The last time the women's basketball team reached the boycotted Los Angeles Games was in 1984, and before that in 1980, it finished fourth in Moscow. If Japan beats Canada, Norbert Szekely will also have to beat the Spanish team, which in this case would already be Olympic contenders.
