Final thriller

US women win eighth basketball gold in a row

Like the men, the US women's national team has won the gold medal in the Olympic basketball tournament. The US women won a dramatic final against France 67:66 (25:25) on Sunday. 

Breanna Stewart and Co. thus won gold for the USA for the eighth time in a row and also secured their home country first place in the medal table ahead of China. Australia had previously claimed bronze with an 85:81 win over Belgium.

The crowd in the Bercy Hall saw two different quarters in the first half. First, the favored Americans dominated, then France was clearly in a better mood. The French also set the tone directly after the break and forced US head coach Cheryl Reeve to call a timeout after eight unanswered points. That triggered a successful comeback - the USA were two points ahead at the end of the quarter.

The final quarter remained tight. The score was 51:51 with five minutes remaining and the USA were just one point ahead with one and a half minutes to go. The experienced US team held on to this minimal lead until the end - albeit with a good dose of luck: A shot by Gabby Williams in the final second only counted for two points instead of three, as the French player had jumped about five centimetres inside the three-point line.