LeBron James' longevity is often praised, but Diana Taurasi has nothing to envy since the Phoenix Mercury star became on Sunday the first, men and women included, to win a 6th Olympic gold medal in basketball. Victorious in Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012), Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021), she was until then tied with her friend Sue Bird, another American basketball legend. But France will have tried everything to prevent her from recovering this 6th gold medal.
“These matches are always difficult” did she react. “Everyone thinks it’s easy to win gold medals… But a match in France against France… They played physical, they played hard, they played for their country. It was a tough win. I told the team before the tournament that the past didn’t allow us to win another one. We had to go get it. All these teams invested, they all get involved in their team and we see it in this tournament. Every night, any team could have won.”
At 42, and even if she doesn't like people to talk about her age, Taurasi played her role as mentor throughout the competition, and she didn't even come into play in the final against France, after only playing six minutes in the semi-final against Australia. For Breanna Stewart, interviewed before the final, Taurasi's presence alone in the locker room and on the bench was an additional asset in going for a 61st victory in a row!
“Gold is spoken of as a standard and that is what it is.”Stewart said. “How many wins has she had out of 60? I don’t know. Whether it’s in different roles, like when she started or now, she’s one of the best players of all time. I think we’re all happy to share the court with her and we’ll make sure we go all the way for her.”
