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They have a 7-0 Games record against Australia.īut Australia beat them in their last meeting, in a Las Vegas exhibition game just hours after influential Opals centre Liz Cambage withdrew from the squad for mental health reasons. The United States have won the last six Olympic tournaments, three in finals against Australia. It saved the Opals – winners of three silver and two bronze medals – from their worst-ever Games result, a fifth in Rio five years ago.īut that will only be delayed unless Australia beats the United States for the first time in an Olympic campaign in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
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That put them ahead of the target for the first time, but there were still two missed Australian free throws to come, the Opals relying on Puerto Rico’s last-ditch three-point effort to miss before they could celebrate. Marianna Tolo had a monumental 26 points and 17 rebounds for Australia while George added 19 points and captain Jenna O’Hea (15 points) drilled four crucial triples.Īustralia led by 24 points and twice curiously turned down good looks close to the basket, George eventually nailing the jump shot instead with 28 seconds to play. They were then drawn to face the United States, officials pulling Australia’s name from a pot in a 50-50 call that could have also seen them matched up against Spain. Pool rivals China (97-55) and Belgium (87-52) had done so easily, but it looked far from likely when Australia conceded the first eight points of the game, trailed by one at quarter time and led by just one at halftime.īut a 51-25 second half, helped by a three-pointer and fall-away jump shot from Cayla George in the last 90 seconds, rescued the most unlikely result in a 96-69 win. Winless in their first two Olympic pool women’s basketball games, the Opals needed to beat Puerto Rico on Monday night by at least 25 points to sneak into the women’s quarter-finals, ahead of Canada on for-and-against. The United States, winners of the last six women’s basketball gold medals, await the Opals after the Australians concocted a miracle passage to the final eight in Tokyo last night.
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Opals prepare for US after big win rescues Games campaignĪustralia’s Cayla George, left, celebrates after making a crucial basket during the Opal’s big win over Puerto Rica last night. The finals will be held later Tuesday on Tokyo’s Sea Forest Waterway course. With the Kiwis also clocking an Olympic best time thanks to a solid tailwind, world champions Volha Khudzenka and Maryna Litvinchuk crossed in third.Īustralia’s other duo, London Olympian Jo Bridgen-Jones and debutant Jaime Roberts missed qualification.
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In a tight women’s semi-final, Wood and Bull looked in sparkling touch, finishing second behind New Zealand duo Caitlin Regal and Lisa Carrington, who is a two-time Olympic champion in the K1 200 metres. The 22-year-old was 1.67 seconds behind Pimenta while Australia’s other paddler Jean van der Westhuyzen faded in the closing stages to finish at the back of the field. Queenslander Green, who is mentored by three-time Olympic medallist Ken Wallace, came home behind heat winner Fernando Pimenta of Portugal, who clocked an Olympic best time of three minutes 22.942 seconds. Teammates Alyce Wood and Alyssa Bull are set to top their eighth placing in Rio after booking a berth in the K2 500 metres women’s final, beating home the Belarussian world champions. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP PhotoĪustralia’s Tom Green will race in the final of the Olympic men’s K1 1000 metres canoe sprint this afternoon after finishing third in a lightning-fast semi-final. A town built on resilience learns to diversify Search All categoriesĪlyssa Bull and Alyce Wood of Australia have qualified for the women’s kayak double 500m final in Tokyo.
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