Ljubljana (dpa) – After the drama, which ended well, many tears of joy flowed in Ljubljana. First the German basketball players danced exuberantly on the floor, then the party in the locker room took its course.
“I have no words, only emotions,” match winner Leonie Fiebich said after 71:69 after extra time against the Czech Republic in the European Championship classification round. This narrow victory secured the players a ticket to one of the qualifying tournaments for the Paris Olympics next year.
“I’m incredibly proud”
Because Olympic host France automatically qualifies for the Summer Games as European Championship semi-finalists, a sixth-place finish in the European Championship is enough to qualify for a qualifying tournament in February 2024. Germany assured that by beating the Czech Republic and the game for fifth place against Serbia on Sunday no longer makes sense.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team. We won this game as a team,” said Fiebich, who had a decisive influence on the win. With Germany looking certain to lose, the Spanish legionnaire equalized with 0.4 seconds to go. And in the dying seconds of overtime, Fiebich kept his nerves as he scored the crucial two points from the free-throw line.
“I’ve never been on such a roller coaster ride. I’ve already grown some new gray hairs,” said national coach Lisa Thomaidis, who has only been on the job for about a month and who previously took care of an absolutely top team. with Canada. Germany, on the other hand, went to Slovenia as an undisputed underdog. For German basketball players, it was the first participation in the European Championship in twelve years. Participation in the Olympic qualification exceeds all expectations. “I’m really excited about this team,” said association president Ingo Weiss.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230625-99-176624/3
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