Latvian basketball players qualify for the final tournament of the European Championship

On Thursday, Israel beat the Swedish national team 75:68 in the European Championship qualification game away from home.

In this qualification cycle, the national teams of Latvia and Israel had already met once, when the Latvians won 62:56 on the road a little more than a year ago.

The tournament will end in February, when the Latvians will travel to Sweden.

The winners of the groups and the four best runners-up will qualify for the final tournament. The organizers of the championship are already guaranteed the right to play in the final tournament, which will be held in Slovenia and Israel in September 2023.

The Latvian women’s national team played in the final tournament of the European Championship for the first time in 1999. From 2005 to 2019, Latvia was represented in eight final tournaments in a row, during this time playing in the quarter-finals five times (the best result – fourth place in 2007) and once winning the right to play in the Olympic tournament and the World Cup.

In the qualification for the 2021 championship, the Latvian national team ranked second in the group and, comparing the balance with the second place winners of other groups, remained one point away from the opportunity to play in the final tournament.

Gundar Vētras is assisted by coaches Mārtiņš Zībarts, Ainars Zvirgzdiņš and Matīss Rožlapa, as well as physical training coach Ivars Iksten.

List of Latvian national team candidates:

Paula Strautmane (Cadi La Seu of Laseva Durzelias, Spain), Katie Wichmane (Saarlouis “Royals”, Germany), Elina Babkina (Ramla “Eliztur”, Israel), Karline Pilābere (Pati “Alma”, Italy), Aija Jurjāne, Ieva Pulvere (both – Istanbul “Galatasaray”, Turkey), Anete Steinberg (“Tango” of Bourges, France), Louise Shept (RSU), Ilze Jákobson (“Maccabi” of Ashdod, Israel), Laura Melder (“Umana Reyer” of Venice, Italy), Vanessa Jas (“IDK Euskotren” of San Sebastian, Spain), Raina Tomasicka (“Loko” of Trutnov, Czech Republic), Aleksa Gulbe (“Avenida” of Salamanca, Spain), Kate Vilka (“TTT Riga”), Kitty Laksa (Bologna “Virtus Segafredo”, Italy).