The German basketball players surprisingly secured participation in a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games.
The German team won in Ljubljana in the placement round against the Czech Republic after extra time with 71:69 (63:63, 29:33) and thus has the chance to get a ticket for the 2024 Olympics in February next year.
Because the Olympic hosts France are automatically qualified for the summer games as a semi-finalist at the European Championships, sixth place is enough to take part in a qualifying tournament. Germany secured that by beating the Czech Republic, the game for fifth place on Sunday is now meaningless.
Exceeded all expectations
Germany traveled to Slovenia as a clear outsider. For the German women it was the first participation in the European Championship in twelve years. Participation in the Olympic qualification exceeds all expectations.
Against the Czech Republic, the team of national coach Lisa Thomaidis already looked like the losers. But 0.4 seconds before the end, Leonie Fiebich saved Germany in overtime. There, too, the German team was back by six points, but fought back again. In the final second, Fiebich converted two free throws to victory. The Spain legionnaire was also the best German thrower with 17 points.