The basketball 3x3 Buenos Aires 2018

Summer Youth Olympics 2018 

BASKETBALL 3X3 Buenos Aires 2018

 Sri Lanka Gold Medal Win In The basketball 3x3

BUENOS AIRES - The basketball 3x3 players from Sri Lanka celebrated a victory against Egypt in their Youth Olympic debut and did not let a loss to the United States get them down.

Sri Lanka does not have a rich basketball history and that also goes for basketball 3x3, the format played at Buenos Aires 2018. The country’s U18 women’s team competing at the Games is No.32 in the world ranking and eighth among Asian countries.

But defying the odds, the girls from Sri Lanka won their first match on the second day of the tournament and marked the occasion with an all-out celebration at Urban Park.

The close, 17-15 victory against Egypt was the country’s first basketball 3x3 appearance at the Youth Olympic Games.

The four players embraced in the middle of the court as if it had been a gold medal match instead of a Group B debut. Even fans with a Sri Lankan flag appeared in Puerto Madero to join in on the celebration.

"At first it was difficult, but we never gave up and it ended up being a close match. It's great to play for your country at the Games. You can’t explain the feeling,” said Sri Lankan player Leia Hamza. “We take it step by step. We don’t think about the podium."

Her teammate Lubna Morseth, who was Sri Lanka’s top scorer with 7 points and 11 rebounds, agreed: "We hope Buenos Aires 2018 is the first step in our careers. We received a lot of support from our country and we’re really happy.”

Sri Lanka had a good start in the second round against basketball powerhouse United States, but they eventually collapsed and suffered a predictable defeat: 21-8 in favour of one of the tournament’s gold medal favourites.

Still, the victory against Egypt is going to be an unforgettable memory for Sri Lanka. And such a debut is sometimes worth as much as gold.