Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Basketball – Women – Group C – China v Belgium – Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan – August 2, 2021. Kim Mestdagh of Belgium and Hanne Mestdagh of Belgium before the match REUTERS / Brian Snyder
SAITAMA, Japan, Aug. 3 (Reuters) – Kim Mestdagh received a wandering blow to the throat and collapsed on the pitch, breathless on Monday in the final preliminary game of Belgium’s women’s basketball debut in the Olympic Games.
Next to the court at Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo, was her head coach Philip Mestdagh, who is also her father. And on the bench was his sister and teammate, Hanne.
Kim, 31, left the field on her own and stayed on the pitch until the final whistle as Belgium lost to China 62-74.
During a post-game press conference, coach Mestdagh played down the family connection and concerns over Kim’s collision.
“At home, okay, I’m the father, but here it’s just players like other players,” said coach Mestdagh.
The Belgian Cats, as they are called, turned their first Olympic appearance into a chance for medals, qualifying for the knockout phase of the competition.
They finished 2-1 in the preliminaries, relying heavily on forward Emma Meesseman, who outscored all other players in the women’s division in scoring and finished second in rebounds, and will face Japan in the quarterfinals. final Wednesday.
Coach Mestdagh along with Kim and Hanne were part of a Belgian squad that won bronze at the 2017 European Women’s Basketball Championship and won an Olympic berth at the 2019 event. The sisters also played together at Colorado State University and have a brother Robin who plays semi-professional ball.
“Basketball really runs our family,” said Hanne, 28, of the support she receives from her sister. “She helps me with things, she is able to talk to me, to coach me sometimes also as a teammate. So it’s very nice to be able to do that and share this experience. “
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A Belarusian athlete who fled to the Polish embassy in Tokyo after refusing her team’s order to return home after the Olympics will travel to Poland on Wednesday, a group of her supporters said.
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