Ruby Porter and Australian women’s team win 3x3 basketball bronze at Youth Olympics
THEY were the lowest-ranked team and had never played with each other before the tournament, but Australia’s underdog women’s 3x3 basketball team, including Adelaide’s Ruby Porter, has won bronze at the Youth Olympics in Argentina.
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FACED with a choice of sink or swim, Australia’s women’s 3x3 basketball team has come up for air with bronze medals around their necks.
The four-strong side, including Adelaide’s Ruby Porter, placed third at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires on Thursday.
It came despite facing the challenges of having never played with each other before, being the lowest-ranked team at the tournament and overtime heartbreak.
The Aussies took on semi-final opponent France in the Argentinian capital only to fall agonisingly short, 20-19, in overtime.
But the girls responded to outclass a tough China team 16-13 in the bronze medal match.
It was an inspiring and emotional result for the team, which used its underdog status to drive it to success.
“I am speechless to think I have won an Olympic medal at the age of 17,” Porter, of West Hindmarsh, said
“When I hit the shot to go into overtime and knowing we had been down all game was so good and intense but to lose it from there was devastating. But at the back of my mind, we knew we weren’t leaving Buenos Aires without a medal.”
Porter, a Sturt Sabres shooting guard, said it was an honour to be part of Australia’s first 3x3 basketball team in the sport’s debut at the Youth Olympics.
The Games success caps an outstanding winter season for the St Mary’s College student, who was part of the Sapphires team at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup in July and last month signed with the Adelaide Lightning.
The sport, which will make its full Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, is played on a half court with three players and one reserve on each team.
Porter and teammates Suzi-Rose Deegan, Alexandra Fowler and Sara-Rose Smith, all 17 years old, played together for the first time a week before the tournament but jelled quickly to progress through the competition.
Porter said the experience was priceless.
“No one could ever understand the kind of experience us girls had throughout the past three weeks,” she said.
“The Aussie team was incredible, I have made life long friends and memories.
“The whole trip paid off and I’m so happy to leave with a bronze medal, couldn’t be prouder of myself and my teammates.”
They were also the lowest-ranked under-18 women’s team, 28th in the world, coming into the games.
But it did not matter as they defeated the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Estonia but lost to Spain in the group matches. The quartet then took out Ukraine in a strong 16-6 win in the quarterfinals.
The USA dominated France 18-4 in the gold medal match, while Argentina took the men’s gold with a 20-15 win over Belgium.
