The Israeli under-20 women's national basketball team landed in Israel on Monday evening after finishing second at the FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket. Star guard Gal Raviv said, 'We're disappointed by the loss in the final, but proud of the history we made,' according to sports reporter Ben Goldfrend (N12).
The Israeli under-20 women's national basketball team landed in Israel on Monday evening, just over 24 hours after falling to France 79-66 in the FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket final. The players returned home wearing their silver medals — the first European championship medal for any Israeli women's basketball team. Star guard Gal Raviv, who was named tournament MVP, told sports reporter Ben Goldfrend (N12) upon arrival: 'We're disappointed by the loss in the final, but proud of the history we made.'
The Zioneer first reported the final result on Sunday at 20:44 Jerusalem, when the desk published multiple updates — beginning with a live report of France leading 18-0 and concluding with confirmation of the historic silver medal. Earlier that day, at 09:44 Jerusalem, the desk reported the team's semifinal victory over Belgium 78-69, which secured Israel's first-ever appearance in a European championship final. The tournament run also included knockout-stage wins over Poland (Fri Jul 10, 15:38 Jerusalem), Hungary (Wed Jul 8, 18:13 Jerusalem), and Croatia (Sun Jul 5, 16:06 Jerusalem), all reported by Goldfrend for N12.
As The Zioneer reported over the course of the tournament, the silver medal marks the highest achievement for Israeli women's basketball internationally. Gal Raviv emerged as the team's standout player, leading the tournament in scoring during the group stage and earning MVP honors. The achievement follows another milestone for Israeli youth sports: the U22 volleyball team's bronze medal at the European Championships, reported by The Zioneer on Sat Jul 4.
No details have been reported yet about the team's reception at the airport or any planned celebrations. The Israel Basketball Association has not issued an official statement beyond the N12 report.
4 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake