German women’s team wins Olympic gold in 3×3 basketball

Gold? Es sah so aus, als könnten sie es nicht fassen. Die Frauen des deutschen 3×3-Teams greifen sich am Montagabend etwa gegen 22.25 Uhr an den Kopf. Sie wirken für einen Moment wie benommen von diesem goldenen Moment. Der Diskjockey ruft sie als Champion aus. Eine Sensation.

Svenja Brunkhorst, Sonja „Sunny“ Greinacher, Marie Reichert und Elisa Melvius sind auf Anhieb, im ersten Versuch Olympiasiegerinnen geworden. Und wieder war es hartes Stück Arbeit bis in die letzten Sekunden, ein an Spannung kaum zu überbietendes Spektakel beim 16:15 über Spanien. „Die ganze Realisierung, was wir hier gemacht haben, was wir erreicht haben für den Basketball und den Frauen-Basketball in Deutschland – das wird erst später kommen“, sagte Greinacher bei Greinacher.

Nach einer schnellen Führung der Deutschen kamen die Ibererinnen ins Spiel. Nutzten ihre Chance, trafen von außen, führten 10:6, schienen auf dem Weg, sich für die Niederlage zum Ende der Vorrunde zu revanchieren. „Aber das ist 3×3. Man darf nie ausgeben“, sagt Elisa Melvius, „das lieben wir.“

Gesagt, getan. Es fielen zwei Würfe von außen durch Brunckhorst und Greinacher. Melvius setzte sich flink, gewitzt durch, die Spanierinnen packten zu, erhöhten ihre Foulbelastung: 12:12. Auch der nächsten spanischen Phase leisteten die Deutschen Widerstand. Wieder kam Melvius zum Ausgleich, eine Minute vor Schluss. Ein Knistern lag in der Abendluft. Der DJ peitsche das Publikum auf. Brunckhorsts Zweier, ein Notwurf mit Ablauf der Angriffszeit, segelt am Korb vorbei.

But Greinacher's long-range shot makes the German fans tremble. Gold? Not yet. 7.6 seconds, Spain has the ball, a throw, on the ring, a rebound, over. Brunckhorst, Melvius, Reichert and Greinacher look around. Is that true? They dance, they hug each other. They run to Dirk Nowitzki, embrace the icon of German basketball. They have achieved what he was never able to do. “Incredible!” said Nowitzki: “This is definitely historic.”

It is the first medal in the 3×3 of German basketball. No great feat, one could cheekily claim, because the Germans were taking part for the first time. But in 2021, at the premiere in Tokyo, the project of discipline coach Matthias Weber was still in the discovery phase, in its second year. It was already enough to be crowned in the fifth year, on Monday evening on the Place de la Concorde.

The surroundings alone give this great moment a golden setting. From the practice pitch right next to the open-air arena with its awning roof, you can see the Arc de Triomphe. Fifty meters from the center court basket stands the famous obelisk, and from the stands you can see the golden dome of the Invalides Cathedral shining in the evening sun.

Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee, also attended part of the final evening and congratulated the President of the German Basketball Association, Ingo Weiss, on the premiere. Gold in the 3×3 is also the very first medal for the association at the Olympic Games. Unique.

There will be no repeat. At least not in this constellation. Brunckhorst is ending her career and will now take full responsibility for the women's team as manager of the basketball Bundesliga club Alba Berlin. “If only someone had told me that I would reach the semi-finals of my last tournament at the Olympics,” she said on Saturday, tears of joy in her eyes. Now she is returning with gold, with a title that no one can take away from her or the ensemble. Olympic champions are for life.

The men and women with the large indoor five-on-five line-up can follow suit. They are in the quarter-finals this Tuesday (11:00 a.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, on ARD and Eurosport / men against Greece) and on Wednesday (6:00 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, on ARD and Eurosport / women against France).

Two professionals from the national team took a practical lesson on Monday alongside basketball icon Nowitzki and former Spanish NBA star Pau Gasol: Franz and Moritz Wagner saw the thrilling semi-final. And why the quartet is said to have a winning mentality. 5:10 behind against Canada, no “knack” for shots from outside, apart from the very first attempt, the only two-point goal scored by the Germans in this match.

Actually, that's not typical. In 3×3, the trend is towards long-range shots as a winning factor with two points each, as the most effective way to catch up in no time. But the high number of fouls committed by the Canadians played into the Germans' hands. They looked for Sonja Greinacher near the basket, hoping for free throws when fouls were committed and her sure hand. She delivered. “I've known her for 16 years, she has an incredible hit rate,” said Brunckhorst.

And nerves. One minute left to play, 15:14 for the selection of the German Basketball Association. A match on equal terms. Greinacher swears her teammates to crunch time. When, if not now? Who makes one mistake too many? Canada scores to equalize.

25 seconds. Brunckhorst loses the ball. A missed throw gives the Germans a chance. 15 seconds left, they have twelve, otherwise the ball is lost. The clock is ticking, the seconds are ticking away. Pass to Greinacher. With 0.6 seconds left in the attack time, the ball leaves her hand. A medium-range throw, her throw, a direct hit. It brings silver, but it already shimmers gold.

Discipline coach Matthias Weber had put his money on the women with a very limited budget, together with national coach Samir Suliman. They were novices in Paris, but trained as world travelers of 3×3, prepared for the elite. Others were named as favorites. But the German team fought through. Seven games in the preliminary round, six wins, only losing once against Australia.

Svenja Brunkhorst (32 years old), Sonja Greinacher (31), Marie Reichert (23) and Elisa Melvius (20) actually made it in the end. And how! In this respect, there is a star on the medal: top class.