THE United States of America had to dig deep today to beat hosts France in the women’s basketball final of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
France battled hard up until the final seconds but USA nicked a 67-66 victory to record an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal in the event.
The USA gold rush now stands at a staggering 10 in total, but they had to work hard for an eighth title in a row against a fearless French team in Paris.
The host nation gave the USA an almighty scare and were even ahead by double-digits during the third quarter and still in contention heading into last seconds.
USA had to launch a comeback and execute down the stretch to preserve their 32-year winning streak that is now 61 games.
France now have silver for the second time, after clinching bronze at Tokyo 2020.
The hosts were leading 35-25 early in the third quarter and while there was a long way to go in the game, USA were still in potentially dangerous waters.
The champions then went on an immediate 8-0 run in response that made it a new game which got them a solid foothold in the contest.
There was huge drama at the end of the game too, with Gabby Williams making a basket on the buzzer for France which looked like it had forced overtime.
However, her foot just strayed into two-point range and it was the last act of an incredible match.
A’ja Wilson was the difference-maker for USA, as many of their star names struggled to produce.
The forward came up with 21 points and 13 rebounds, her double-double basically the main reason that USA escaped a shock loss.
