France denied another gold as Dutch snatch dramatic win

Medal ceremony for 3x3 Basketball players

[BBC Sport]

France were denied another Olympic gold – and the chance to go third in the Paris 2024 medal table – by a dramatic sudden-death defeat against the Netherlands in the men’s 3×3 basketball final.

The hosts had to settle for silver after a last-gasp 18-17 loss which deflated a passionate home crowd at La Concorde.

France forced the extra time after fighting back to level 16-16 towards the end of the 10-minute match.

Timothe Vergiat put France ahead but, 10 seconds later, Worthy de Jong beat the buzzer with a two-pointer which denied the host nation a 13th gold of the Games.

It would have put them above Australia having won a total of 45 medals.

Lithuania won bronze after beating Baltic neighbours Latvia.

Defending champions Latvia were backed by vociferous support, but denied a first medal of Paris 2024 for their country.

Lithuania win 21-18 after a flurry of late free throws, sparking jubilant celebrations on the court and their flag-waving compatriots in the stands.

In the women’s event, Germany nabbed gold after fighting back to beat Spain.

Germany rallied to win 17-16 as Sonja Greinacher landed a late two-pointer to tip the balance in their favour.

The United States, who were favourites to defend their title coming into the Games, had to settle for bronze.

A tight battle against neighbours Canada ended 16-13 in the favour of the Americans.