China claimed the silver medal in the women’s 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, falling 12-11 to Poland in the final on November 9.
Played under 36-degree Celsius heat at 15:50 local time, the gold-medal match saw Poland jump out to an early three-point lead. The Chinese squad mounted a chase but could not erase the gap, finishing one point short at the final buzzer.
Sun Hanyun, Gu Manjie, Zhu Zihan, and Tang Yihan made up the roster for China. The silver marks the country’s return to the final in this event since the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, where China won the gold medal.
Earlier on November 9, the team survived a schedule of two games in a single day. Facing host nation Senegal in the morning semifinal, the score remained tied at 19-19 with just 1 minute and 9 seconds remaining on the clock.
Sun scored 2 points in the closing moments to push China past the hosts and into the championship game. The players broke down in tears on the court after the narrow defeat in the afternoon final.
Head coach Liu Shengbin noted that the young student-athletes dealt with harsh weather, jet lag, and dietary adjustments throughout the event. He stated that the tournament provided vital practical experience and fresh insight into 3-on-3 rules and training methods.
They have given it their all, and I feel there are no regrets,
Liu said. He added that excessive eagerness to win weighed on the players’ minds, leading to unforced errors and missed open jump shots.
Liu singled out Sun as a prospect with the potential to secure a role at the four-position for China’s women’s basketball program. He expressed hope that all four players will continue developing across both five-player and three-player formats.
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