A’ja Wilson tallied 21 points as the U.S. women’s basketball team faced its toughest challenge yet in their quest for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, narrowly defeating France 67-66 at the Paris Games on Sunday.
No team had come close to challenging the Americans during their impressive streak of 61 consecutive wins. Prior to this game, only two of those victories had been by single digits.
This eighth consecutive gold medal victory broke the tie with the American men’s program, who had won seven in a row from 1936-1968. The historic win for the women’s team came shortly after the U.S. men’s team also triumphed over France in the title game, marking the first time in Olympic history that both gold medal games featured the same two teams.
Unlike the men’s game, the outcome of this match was uncertain until the final minute and the last shot by France, just inside the 3-point line.
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With the score at 67-64 and only 3.9 seconds left, Kahleah Copper made two free throws. The ball eventually ended up with Gabby Williams, who made a shot just inside the 3-point line over Breanna Stewart for France’s final points of the game.
After a brief delay, the officials confirmed that it was a two-point shot, leading to celebrations and hugs among the American players while leaving the French team in disbelief at coming so close.
“Gabby hit some great shots down the end, tough shots,” Wilson praised. “We understood what we had in our locker room and leaning on each other and talking to one another and believing that we believed in each other and that’s the greatest thing about it.”
The American players celebrated with celebrities seated courtside, including LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White, Lisa Leslie, Sue Bird, and Dawn Staley.
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Williams, who finished with 19 points, had made a deep 3-pointer just moments before Copper’s free throws, narrowing the gap for France. She received a comforting embrace from Staley.
This victory gave Diana Taurasi her sixth consecutive gold medal, solidifying her status as the most decorated basketball player in Olympic history, surpassing longtime teammate Sue Bird’s five gold medals.
Taurasi, despite not playing in the gold medal game, has remained humble about the potential record, emphasizing the team’s success over individual accolades.
These Olympics presented challenges for Taurasi as she did not start any of the knockout phase games, marking the first time she was not part of the starting lineup since the 2004 Olympics.
Australia secured the bronze medal with an 85-81 victory over Belgium earlier in the day.
