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Nigeria caps off eventful first few days in Olympics with surprising win over Australia

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Nigeria caps off eventful first few days in Olympics with surprising win over Australia
Sport

Sport

Nigeria caps off eventful first few days in Olympics with surprising win over Australia

2024-07-29 21:08 Last Updated At:21:10

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — Nigeria's coaches and players soaked in the moment, taking in the cheers from the crowd as they stood at center court.

The team had just pulled off a surprising victory against Australia in the Olympic opener for both teams. It was the first win in the Olympics in 20 years for the African nation.

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Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama is hugged from behind by coach Djoko Muganguziin after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama is hugged from behind by coach Djoko Muganguziin after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Adebola Adeyeye, hugs Elizabeth Balogun, of Nigeria, after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Adebola Adeyeye, hugs Elizabeth Balogun, of Nigeria, after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrates after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrates after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

It happened a few days after the team made the 2 1/2-hour trek from Lille to Paris for the opening ceremony only to be denied access to the country's boat by its own federation because there wasn't enough room, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented.

“It feels so good. It's been a tough couple of days,” said Amy Okonkwo, who scored 13 points in the win. “We've stuck together and this is what it's about. Like, you overcome adversity and you fight until the finish and you come out with the win.”

The players didn't want to get into the specifics of what happened Friday night.

“I just want to leave the past in the past. I can’t do anything about it,” Okonkwo said. “But what we can do is focus on what we can do on the court and execute our game plan and continue to just take everything in stride and take it one day at a time.”

It has been a difficult few years for Nigeria since the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. The country was winless at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and then internal strife between the basketball federation and the government caused the team to miss playing in the World Cup in 2022.

“Sometimes you fight with your brother, your sister, and the next day you make up and you’re friends again,” said Ezinne Kalu, who had 19 points against Australia. “So that’s all we’ve been doing these past few years. Just fighting and just trying to stay together as a team. And today, prove that we can continue to be great.”

Kalu added that the team has gone through so much off the court, but people haven't been paying attention.

“Nobody cares what we go through off the court," the guard said. "They just see what we do on the court."

It was the country's first win in the Olympics since 2004, when Nigeria beat South Korea 68-64 in the 11th-place game. That's the only other win by an African team in women's basketball at the Olympics. The continent is now 2-36.

“We can do anything we put our minds to," Nigeria coach Rena Wakama said. "I think nobody believed that we could do it, except for the 20 people in my locker room.”

Assistant coach Aisha Mohammed has been a part of both wins now; she was a player on the 2004 team. She saw a lot of similarities between the two victories.

"That game is kind of like this one," she said. “You know the fight from the beginning, you know, at the end, we didn't give up. We kept fighting and fighting.”

The difference was that win over South Korea was at the end of the Olympics, and this one is just the beginning. The Nigerians have a lofty goal of trying to reach the quarterfinals — something no African country has ever done.

It's been a great start to the Olympics for Africa. The South Sudan men's basketball team won its opener in the country's first-ever Olympic game.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama is hugged from behind by coach Djoko Muganguziin after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigeria head coach Rena Wakama is hugged from behind by coach Djoko Muganguziin after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Nigerian players, left to right, Ezinne Kalu, Murjanatu Musa, Amy Okonkwo, of Nigeria, and Promise Amukamara, celebrate after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrate in a women's basketball game against Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Adebola Adeyeye, hugs Elizabeth Balogun, of Nigeria, after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Adebola Adeyeye, hugs Elizabeth Balogun, of Nigeria, after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrates after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Promise Amukamara, of Nigeria, celebrates after Nigeria defeated Australia in a women's basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The screw holding the net in place at the Australian Open's main stadium got jarred loose during defending champion Jannik Sinner's fourth-round match against Holger Rune on Monday, delaying play for about 20 minutes early in the fourth set.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner, who is the defending champion at Melbourne Park, hit one of his booming serves into the net, shaking it. That managed to inadvertently undo the metal piece that hooks into the bottom of the black webbing that separates players on a tennis court, then is rotated to screw into the blue-painted surface.

That left the net loose, so play could not continue. At least a half-dozen people went over to take a look at things and attempt to re-connect the equipment. Eventually, a worker with a red tool box was able to fix it, earning a cheer from thousands of spectators at Rod Laver Arena.

In the meantime, chair umpire Nico Helwerth sent both Sinner and Rune off to the locker room so they did not need to sit on the sideline in the afternoon heat that topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, we are trying to fix the net as quick as possible,” Helwerth announced to the crowd. “It's probably going to take a few minutes. Thank you for your patience.”

Each player already had taken a medical timeout during the match. Sinner was leading 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 0-1 when action was halted.

As Sinner and the 13th-seeded Rune, a 21-year-old from Denmark, walked back out on the court to return to the contest, fans applauded.

The players were then allowed to warm up for three minutes before Sinner got things started again with a serve.

Holger Rune of Denmark plays a backhand return to Jannik Sinner of Italy during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Holger Rune of Denmark plays a backhand return to Jannik Sinner of Italy during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Staff work on repairing the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Staff work on repairing the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Jannik Sinner of Italy talks with his coaching staff as repairs are made too the net during his fourth round match against Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Jannik Sinner of Italy talks with his coaching staff as repairs are made too the net during his fourth round match against Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Staff work on repair the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Staff work on repair the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

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