The Nigeria women’s basketball team, known as D’Tigress, has made a historic leap at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first African basketball team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals.
This achievement comes after a 79-70 victory over Canada at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Paris.
The development complements D’Tigress’ first Olympic game victory in 20 years, marked by their 75-62 win against Australia in the first game.
The team, led by Rena Wakama, its first female head coach, has won four consecutive AfroBasket titles, securing the top spot on the continent.
“I hope young girls are watching this,” Wakama told the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). “I wanted to be the first, but I don’t want to be the last. If we invest in Africa, we are capable of doing really amazing things. We have to put some eyes on Africa and develop the game there, and it starts with grassroots. It will make the game so much better.”
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For the quarterfinals, D’Tigress will square up with the United States, who have maintained an uninterrupted winning streak since 1996 and won nine of the last 12 Olympic titles.
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