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06 - 20
August 2016
11 Natalie ACHONWA (Canada)
06/08/2016
News
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Don't sleep on Canada

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - As Canada prepare to open their Rio Olympics Group B campaign against China on Saturday, Natalie Achonwa feels they are no longer a team to overlook.

The North Americans are making their second straight appearance in the Olympics, and the 23-year-old believes that they can do a lot better than they did four years ago in London in which they returned home with a 2-4 mark.

"Our goal is a medal. It’s a goal that we are going to have to work for. We didn’t get to this point back-to-back at the Olympics by just  showing up." - Achonwa

Despite her young age, the Indiana Fever power forward acts, speaks and plays like a veteran. After all, she has been wearing the Canadian jersey for almost eight years. 

Achonwa talked to FIBA.com and explained why Canada shouldn't be written off.

FIBA.com: What are your thoughts as you prepare for the Olympics? How do you feel, how does the team feel?
Achonwa: I am excited to be here… Just tired of beating up on each other, and we are ready to get a real game. 

FIBA.com: You are coming with the same 12 players you had as last year's FIBA Americas Women's Championship. I can probably think that the 12 teams in the women’s field - or even the men’s field - there aren't many that have the exact 12 players from the last biggest competition. What is it like for you?
Achonwa: It’s a great part of Canada basketball. The Federation invests in our players in a quad. Yes, it’s the exact 12 players, but we have been preparing since 2012. So, we have been bringing new players... bringing Kia [Nurse], bringing Nirra [Fields], bringing young players, so that we can get to this moment. And last year was when we all put all that together in the FIBA Americas as well as the Panamerican Games at home. So, we have been preparing for the Olympics, not every four years, but every day for four years. We have been waiting for this moment. It’s great to have that same team. We know each other a little better… better chemistry, and of course having games under your belt altogether makes it easier.

FIBA.com: What do you remember from the London 2012 Games?
Achonwa: I was young, very young. We were one of the last teams to qualify for that tournament [Canada qualified via the 2012 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament]. This time, we qualified a year in advance. It gave us time to mentally and emotionally prepare… So it's a big advantage.

FIBA.com: In terms of the competition, the general experience of being an Olympian, what do you take from going through it four years ago, and what, for example, are you and other veterans such as Kim Gaucher and Lizanne Murphy able to pass on to the youngsters and first-time Olympians you have here?
Achonwa: It's always an honour not only in the Olympics to put on a Canadian jersey. We are just proud to be here and represent our country. Being our second Olympics, it allows us to eliminate some of the distraction and just focus on basketball because we are here for a reason.

FIBA.com. The Americas served you well last year when you won the Pan-American Games and the FIBA Americas Women's Championship on home soil. Do you feel that you have any sort of advantage here in Brazil?
Achonwa: We haven't been in Brazil in a little bit. I don't know if it's necessarily a home-court advantage. Our goal is a medal. It’s a goal that we are going to have to work for. We didn’t get to this point back-to-back at the Olympics by just showing up. We are not the best individual players, but when we play together, we work hard and we play together as a team. We just didn’t wake up here. We need to continue to work hard if we want a medal. It’s great to play great teams like Spain, France, Australia and the U.S, who have the history of being here and being champions.

FIBA.com: Can you compare the field of 2012 and the field this year? Is it more competitive or is it just about the same?
Achonwa: I think we are different. We can take teams for a surprise. It’s an honour that some of the great teams in the world look at us as competitors. We have to believe in ourselves we don’t ask other people to believe in us.

FIBA