ARG – London still the dream for Argentina

BUENOS AIRES (Olympics) - Argentina's spectacular FIBA Americas Championship for Women ended with a giant thud on Saturday when they crashed to a heavy defeat in the Final against Brazil.

The 74-33 drubbing served as a reminder that there is a gulf in class between the world champions Team USA, Brazil and the rest of the countries in the FIBA Americas when it comes to the women's game.

It hasn’t taken long for the feel-good factor to return to Argentina, though.

The players and coaches are back home from Neiva, Colombia, where the competition was staged.

And they are already thinking about playing at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women next year from June 25 until July 1, where five places for London will be up for grabs.

The Argentinians, Canadians and Cubans will represent the Americas at the 12-team qualifying event after reaching the Semi-Finals in Neiva.

Brazil qualified for London by winning the gold.

Paula Reggiardo, one of the Argentina players who had 18 points in the Semi-Final win over Canada, said: "Without a doubt, no one likes losing by 30 points.

"Despite this, you end up realizing that we should be happy to have qualified for the play-offs (Olympic Qualifying Tournament) since our team is one in which most of the players are not professionals and we know what that means."

Reggiardo believes she and her teammates can make it to the Olympics.

Also in the additional qualifiers will be Korea and Japan, who finished second and third, respectively, at the FIBA Asia Championship for Women, Oceania runners-up New Zealand, the sides that came in second through fifth at the EuroBasket Women - Turkey, France, the Czech Republic and Croatia – and Afrobasket Women silver and bronze medalists Senegal and Mali.

Getting to the Olympics would be a dream come true for Reggiardo.

'Yes, I think is the greatest aspiration for an athlete," she said.

"Last year was my first World Championship and it was an amazing feeling.

"In addition, if we qualify, it would be the first time that Argentina would go to the Olympics, which would be unprecedented.

"I am convinced that desire, reinforced with a serious work of preparation, can make this possibility materialize.”

FIBA