The Opals must end their rivals’ 52-match unbeaten streak if they are to progress to the semi-finals in Tokyo
For so long, the United States have stood between the Australian women’s basketball team and Olympic glory. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when the Opals won their first-ever Olympic bronze medal, it had been team USA that ended their gold medal run in the semi-finals. In Sydney in 2000, on the Opals’ home court, the two nations faced off in the final. The Australians again came off second best. It was the same in the gold medal match at Athens (albeit by a smaller margin) and the same again in Beijing.
At the 2012 Olympics in London, the Opals faced their familiar foes in the semi-final, losing to the USA. A bronze medal was their consolation after beating Russia in the next match. Had it not been for an unexpected loss to Serbia in the quarter-finals in Rio, a match-up with the Americans was inevitable.
Related: Men’s basketball: USA come alive to rally past Spain in blockbuster quarter-final
Related: Women’s basketball: USA tame France to go 52 games unbeaten at Olympics
