Six different countries share the Xiamen 2024 University World Cup 3×3 basketball medals: Lithuania, France, Mongolia, China, Canada and Mexico!
22 universities, 18 countries, loads of adrenaline and action, great team spirit, plenty of lightshows and and excited crowds. In Xiamen, China, university 3×3 basketball was certainly at its best.
The two beautiful U-shaped trophies went to Lithuania and to China as both the Vytautas Magnus (men) and Tsinghua (women) university teams clearly dominated their respective finals.
Shots from under the hoops
Six different countries on the podiums
Six medals and six different flags! What better to showcase the universal popularity of this spectacular sport? Lithuania, France, Mongolia, China, Canada and Mexico all climbed on the Xiamen podium thanks to the display of their skills and great teamwork.
In the men’s final, Vytautas Magnus University from Lithuania (Rokas Jocys, Nojus Lebskas, Augistinas Mikštas and Gabrielius Čelka) didn’t give many chances to the French players from Nantes University (Thomas Andrieux, Joran Hamon, Jeffté Pasquier and Zayd Yahiaoui), beating them 21.11.
At the beginning of the final, both teams showed a strong sense of confrontation. In the hot atmosphere of the scene, Nantes University from France took the lead and, with the hot touch of the inside and outside lines, hit a small lead 3-0 in the first minute. Vytautas Magnus University immediately sought a counterattack, while the Nantes did not give them a chance to catch their breath. The Lithuanians then managed to catch up and then slowly but surely took the advantage. In the final moments of the competition, Vytautas Magnus University made a long-range shot that reached 21 points ahead of schedule, securing a beautiful victory and the gold medal!
Mon-Altius from Mongolia (Azzaya Batkhuyag, Altangerel Batsaikhan, Avirmed Lhagvaa and Chinguun Uuganbayar) took the bronze home after defeating Guangdong Uni Tech (CHN) 22-19.
Domination of the home country in the women’s table
In the women’s tournament, Tsinghua University from China (Wang Xiaoqing, Yuan Xinyue, Li Yujing and Gao Ziyue) beat the Canadians from Carleton University (Teresa Donato, Kyana-Jade Poulin, Kinly Rice and Jacqueline Urban) 21-15 in the final.
At the beginning of the game, Carleton Uni made a layup to open the record, and Tsinghua Uni also responded by constantly grabbing the offensive rebound. Tsinghua University took advantage of her height to dominate the interior, and showed strong domination on both offense and defence.
Although Carleton Uni tried to fight back, Tsinghua Uni was always able to respond in time when the score was close. In the end, Tsinghua University claimed victory with a 21-15 score.
ITESM Monterrey from Mexico Irais Aguilera Castorena, Karina Esquer Vila, Deyna Alicia González Montemayor and Anisa Darinka Jeffries Elicerio) finished third after beating the second team from China, Yunnan Normal University 21-18.
- 1. Vytautas Magnus University (LTU)
- 2. Nantes University (FRA)
- 3. Mon-Altius (MGL)
- 1. Tsighua Uni (CHN)
- 2. Carleton University (CAN)
- 3. ITESM Monterrey (MEX)
All these thrilling games were shown live on FISU.tv. For more information and all the results, please visit the event’s official website. Many thanks and congratulations to all participating teams and to the great organising committee and dedicated volunteers for closing this year of FISU sports with a bang!