3-on-3 basketball player Soana Lucet will not be going to Tokyo. If the Caledonian won with the Blue the Olympic qualifying tournament in Graz, she was not selected in the final group of the France team for the Olympics. Explanations.
The prospect of the Olympics seemed obvious, after two internships at Insep, a preparation tournament won in Voiron, then the Olympic qualifying tournament in Austria – where the Blues won their ticket to Tokyo. However, this will not be a reality for Soana Lucet. The tricolor technical staff of 3 against 3 basketball did not retain her in the group of four players and two substitutes called to go to Japan.
Ana Filip returns
One of the explanations is the return of Ana Filip from injury. The Caledonian had made up for the absence from the TQO of the one who is considered the No. 1 choice at the pivot position, because of her size (1m94) and her experience. Double champion of France, five-time winner of the Coupe de France, and titled in the Euro 5×5 basketball cup, Ana Filip has also proved to be one of the best 3×3 players at the international level (fifth in ranking individual). Returned to 100% of its capacities, it became a logical choice for the Olympics
A choice that pushed Soana Lucet out of the potential holders, but did not necessarily prevent her from being a replacement for the France group in Japan. Arrived for less than a year in the France collective, his lack of common experience with his teammates seems to have weighed in the balance.
“Leave with a team that knows each other well”
“We had to decide, not without difficulty, between maintaining the team that had qualified for Tokyo and adapting to the teams that we will meet at the Games”, explains the coach Richard Billant, in a press release published on the website of the French federation. “We have decided to go with a team that knows each other well and has already done very well in official competitions.”
In 2019, the Blue with Ana Filip, Laëtitia Guapo, Marie-Eve Paget and Mamignan Touré had finished European champions and third in the Worlds. This same team was chosen for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. The technical staff favored a playmaker, Caroline Heriaud, and a tall rear, Marie Mané (1m84) to be substitutes. “Two players to compensate for a possible forfeit who will join Japan at the same time as the team, but will have to leave Tokyo before the Games start”, specifies the federation.
