Quincy Hall wins 400m final, Kristen Faulkner takes second gold
Quincy Hall made an epic comeback to win gold in the 400m, the US synchronized swimmer took the silver medal with the moonwalk and Kristen Faulkner won another gold in cycling.
PARIS – The world is coming to the U.S. women’s basketball team.
We’ve spent so much time focusing on the growth of the game in the United States – the blockbuster ratings, the skyrocketing attendance, the increased attention among casual fans – that we’ve overlooked the rest of the world.
And that’s a mistake. Because the game is growing rapidly elsewhere, too, and those teams have their sights set on the Americans and their global dominance.
Look at what Nigeria did in the first half on Wednesday night. The first African team to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament (men’s and women’s), the Nigerians demanded everything from the U.S. women in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Nigeria was in single digits until the end of the first quarter, but was able to reduce the USA’s lead to four points with 6:28 minutes left in the first half. After two field goals by A’ja Wilson, Amy Okonkwo converted two free throws and reduced the lead to six points again.
The Americans ended the half on a 14-4 run and the game was effectively over. They eventually won 88-74 to advance to Friday’s semifinals. But another U.S. victory isn’t the deciding factor. The deciding factor is that the game is getting better around the world and the days of the U.S. women easily winning another Olympic gold medal are numbered.
“You just see in these (programs) the commitment to support (their teams) financially, and I think Nigeria is the perfect example of that,” said Diana Taurasi.
When the Americans played Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, Taurasi recalls, they won by 29 points. Of the eight teams that made it to the knockout rounds, Nigeria finished last. That was just six years ago. And now let’s look at where Nigeria is today.
“They just keep investing in them,” Taurasi said. “They’re second in their group. They had a great performance tonight. And I just expect them to keep getting better.”
And it’s not just Nigeria. For Germany, it was their first Olympic appearance and they too reached the quarter-finals. Had they not played against France and its noisy fans, or had they played against Les Bleues on neutral ground, the Germans might have progressed.
Belgium nearly beat the US women in February, but Breanna Stewart scored a last-gasp goal to seal the win. Serbia, which only qualified for the Olympics in 2016, has established itself as a fixture in global football.
“There are so many countries that are really, really good. So the playing field is starting to level out,” said Nigeria coach Rena Wakama, who also works as an assistant at Tulane.
“Before (the gap) was super, super big. But now we see that the playing field is slowly becoming a little more even,” Wakama added. “The young players coming up need more time to play at this level. And we have to keep investing in the game. Keep investing, not just in America, not just in Europe, but also in Africa.”
If this sounds familiar, it’s true. That’s exactly what happened in women’s football.
For years, the United States, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Brazil dominated soccer, but as countries began to invest in their programs, the gap shrank.
Spain failed to qualify for the World Cup until 2015. Now the country is the reigning world champion and has a development system that is the envy of the whole world. In England, women were even banned from playing football for half a century. Now it can be said that the country’s professional league is the best in the world.
At last year’s World Cup, newcomer Morocco made it to the knockout rounds. The teams from Zambia and the Philippines, also making their debuts, won both games.
And the surest sign of a tie was the US women’s elimination in the round of 16. It was their earliest ever elimination at a major international tournament, and that after they had already lost in the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics.
To think that the same thing couldn’t happen in basketball is naive.
“The development is there,” said Ezinne Kalu, Nigeria’s top scorer. “There are coaches who are putting time and effort into improving the younger generation and getting to where we are now. And that shows that the growth will continue.”
“If we just put our resources where they are needed and use the money to fund these young organizations and the girls who are working hard, I’m pretty sure basketball in Africa will continue to grow.”
And beyond that. Americans should feel warned.
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
