To win gold at Tokyo 2020 despite an Achilles ailment, American K. Plum Despite a career-ending injury, Plum and her team, Stefanie Dolson, Jackie Young, and Allisha Gray, won the first-ever women’s 3×3 basketball gold.
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K. Plum Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Getting a gold medal at the Olympics is a huge accomplishment. To be able to physically hold it in your palm on the anniversary of your first steps after surgery for a potentially career-ending injury makes the accomplishment that much sweeter.
The United States women’s 3×3 basketball team, captained by K. Plum, won the first-ever gold medal in the sport on July 28 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 2021, by defeating the Republic of China (ROC) 18-15 in the final.
The United States remained dominant throughout the competition, winning all but one of their games en route to a gold medal performance, and K. Plum played a crucial role in every one of those victories.
Given that games in the 3×3 format terminate once the first team reaches 21 points or after 10 minutes of play, the 26-year-average old’s of 6.3 points per match throughout all seven games is quietly impressive.
The fact that K. Plum tied with China’s WANG Lili for the Olympics’ highest scorer but did it in one fewer game is just one more way to highlight the significance of the WNBA Las Vegas Ace in the United States’ first title.
The first overall choice in the 2017 WNBA draught tore her Achilles tendon while playing 3 on 3 basketball exactly one month before the start of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
On Monday morning at Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, USA improved to 6-0 and China fell to 4-2, as K. Plum scored a disputed 2-pointer from the top of the arc to end the dramatic 3×3 game at 21-19.
K. Plum Scored the Winning Goal
After Jiyuan Wan scored for China to make the score 19-19, K. Plum scored the winning goal just seven seconds later.
Beginning when the score was 17-17 with 1:52 remaining, the lead changed hands between the United States and Canada twice before finally settling into a one-point U.S. advantage with 0:32 remaining. As time ran out, China had a narrow 17-16 lead thanks to a two-pointer from Lili Wang.
Last Words
China led by two points with 5:11 remaining in the game after a 13-11 run. Earlier in the game, the score was knotted at 13, 14, and 15.
A two-pointer from Shuyu Yang gave China a 12-10 lead only nine seconds after Wang had knotted the score at 10. It was a competitive game throughout, with the USA holding a two-point lead six times before that.
