Nigeria's Women's Team Qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Nigeria's Women's Team Qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Nigeria will be Africa's sole representatives to the Paris 2024 Olympics, having secured back-to-back appearances at the showpiece event, having also featured last time at Tokyo 2020.

Having made their debut at the Summer Games in 2004 in Athens, Nigeria made a return to the Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, making it back after finishing third in the four-team qualifier held in Belgium.

The opening match was an African derby between the Rema Wakama's D'Tigresses and Carlos Alberto's Lionesses, a repeat of the 2023 Women's AfroBasket Final and the result was no different.

It was Nigeria who came out on top in a nail-biting battle with a 72-65 comeback win to beat Senegal and jump towards the Olympic Games.

Trailing 57-49 heading into the last 10 minutes and looking low on energy, Nigeria dug deep. They started the last quarter with an 11-0 run to swing the contest back firmly in their favor.

Amy Akonkwo, MVP in last year’s Women's AfroBasket led Nigeria with a magnificent 21 points and 10 rebounds.

"I am just so proud of my team. We fought through adversity being down in the first half. But when we listed to our coach and executed, it was a different game. It was about how we upped our energy and intensity. It felt like a Final, but every game should feel like that." Akonkwo told FIBA.basketball.

In Tokyo the African champs struggled on the court and finished one off the bottom, that was not a surprise in a nightmare group with all three podium teams.

Their return to the big show in 2024 might see them able to improve on two 11th placed finishes.

"I am so incredibly proud of my team," coach Wakama echoed after the win against . "The game was not pretty, but they stuck together and they got it done. It was beautiful as a coach to see them come together and fight back when things were not going their way.

This game felt like a final because we knew what was at stake. But we only just got past this first road block," Wakama said of the march against Senegal that eventually qualified the side to the Olympics.

Nigeria lost to both USA and Belgium to finish third as Senegal finished winless to miss out.

Coach Alberto's charges can, however, take pride in one of their own, Yacine Diop finishing the tournament as top scorer to make the All-Star team of the tournament alongside Okonkwo and three others.
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[Photo Credit: FIBA]