Belgium’s road to Olympic gold: basketball
At the last Olympics in Tokyo, Belgium had its most successful Games since 1948, with a total of seven medals. This year's Paris Olympics could be even better, with plenty of Belgian candidates in the running for a medal. Today, Belga English looks at the women’s basketball competition.
The Belgian Cats, the women's national basketball team, has been on the rise for many years. Last year, they became European Champions for the first time, after two bronze medals in 2021 and 2017. They have also done well at World Championships, reaching fifth place in Sydney in 2022 and fourth place in Tenerife in 2018.
The Belgian Cats are well-known for their team spirit, but they also have an undisputed leader: 31-year-old power forward Emma Meesseman from Ypres. Meesseman is widely considered the best player in Europe and has an incredible track record of success, with championships both in the EuroLeague and the American WNBA. It was hardly a surprise that she was crowned Most Valuable Player at the Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Antwerp this year.
Another key player is guard Julie Vanloo, who at the age of 31 made her debut in the WNBA this year with the Washington Mystics. Other teammates with plenty of experience are Antonia Delaere, Kyara Linskens and Julie Allemand. Allemand, however, is just coming back from injury. A younger player who is becoming more and more important is forward Maxuella Lisowa-Mbaka, nicknamed “Miss Energy” and loved by fans for her fighting spirit and aggressive defence.
Revenge against Japan
The 2021 Games were a disappointment for the Belgian Cats, with a seventh-place finish. They suffered a narrow loss against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals, losing by just a single point.
Belgium can take revenge for that painful defeat this summer, because Japan are in their group. Belgium are just the favourites, currently ranked sixth in the world to Japan's ninth. Germany, number 19 in the world ranking, should in theory be the least difficult opponent in the group.
The favourite in the group and for the tournament as a whole is the USA, the current Olympic and world champions. The fact that they share a group is not necessarily bad news, because it means the Belgians can avoid the US until the semi-finals if they both progress to the next round.
A close defeat in the Olympic qualifying tournament showed that they have the talent to match the superpower, although the chances of victory remain very slim.
Promising preparation
The final preparation of the Cats, who are coached by Frenchman Rachid Meziane, was promising. They achieved resounding victories against China, Spain, Canada and Serbia – ranked 2, 4, 5 and 10 in the world respectively.
Meesseman has called on everybody to remain calm and focused. “I hope we don't start fantasising now and suddenly hit the wall at the wrong time, at the Olympics,” she told Sporza, VRT's sports channel. “I think we can play even more aggressively and also go for rebounds more, that's where we still make some mistakes.”
But she also praised her teammates. “Everyone in this squad gives confidence to each other, everyone can score. That's the beauty of the Cats.”
The group stage of the Olympic tournament will not take place in Paris but close to home for the Cats, in Lille, which means there will be no doubt a mass of Belgian fans cheering them on. During the knockout rounds, the competition moves to the Bercy Arena in Paris. The women’s tournament runs from 28 July to 11 August.
The Belgian Cats celebrate victory in the European Championships in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 2023 © BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR
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