gold goal for the 3×3 women’s basketball team led by Laëtitia Guapo

After winning fourth place at the Tokyo Games, the French women’s 3×3 basketball team, led by Laëtitia Guapo, now has a clear ambition: to climb to the highest step of the podium at the Paris Olympic Games. Between two training sessions, the champion of this discipline spoke to Freddy Vétault in this new edition of NoA Basket, your weekly meeting with the orange ball.

For women’s 3×3, the gold medal is now a tangible possibility, particularly with Laëtitia Guapo, who did not reach the podium at the Tokyo Olympics. The French women’s 3×3 team had aimed for a medal and finished fourth, after losing to the United States in the semi-final (18-16) then to the People’s Republic of China for third place (14-16). However, the champion uses this disappointment as an additional source of motivation.

Today, it motivates me even more and galvanizes me. I want to take my revenge on Tokyo, to recover the medal that we already deserved at that time.

Laëtitia Guapo

Captain of the women’s 3X3 team

“I came out of it grown. And I don’t forget that it won’t necessarily be easy. I hope the story will be more beautiful in Paris. We will have every chance on our side and I will have no regrets“, explains the basketball player, currently resident at Tango Bourges Basket.

The French Basketball Federation’s strategy, which consisted of focusing specifically on 3×3 by investing in versatile players, seems to be bearing fruit. The confidence is there.

Among the women, a group of eight players was formed, from the French team, in order to prepare exclusively for 3×3, with an adapted schedule. A considerable investment on the part of the Federation which will maximize their chances of success at the Paris Games.

We worked on hybrid profiles, mixing traditional 5×5 basketball players and 3×3 specialists.

Jean-Pierre Siutat

President of the French Basketball Federation

“ We have formed a group of eight players selected from the elite of the French team, in order to concentrate entirely on this discipline with a specific schedule. This decision represented a significant investment and a clear strategic direction on the part of the Federation, with the aim of preparing as best as possible for the Paris Games..” explains Jean-Pierre Siutat, President of the French Basketball Federation.

Indeed, the preparation of the eight players has been intensive since October with innovative training, including an internship in Mongolia. Juggling 3×3 and 5×5 training was a real physical challenge, but players now have the opportunity to focus solely on 3×3.

At the end, only four of them will be retained. Places are expensive because versatility is essential in 3×3. Players must remain aggressive in attack and defense, adapting to all situations and styles of play. For Guapo, it is this diversity that makes 3×3 so “captivating”. But playing in these conditions also requires exceptional endurance, a quality for which Guapo is renowned, with her teammates even nicknamed her “six lungs”.

For Laetitia Guapo, the choice has been clear from the start: “I turned to 3×3 to take some time for myself and to recover. Compared to 5×5, 3×3 does not have the same intensity, which makes the sequence of seasons difficult. After a month’s break between the 3×3 season and the start of the new 5×5 season, I feel much better. During a recent meeting, the girls of the French 5×5 team noticed significant progress from those who train in 3×3. Currently, we are preparing with a competition every weekend, in order to focus on the most interesting aspects of the game. We will continue to progress and become more professional.”

For now, the eight women form a united group, sharing all aspects of their daily lives to achieve their common goal: winning gold on home soil.