Wheelchair basketball players mess up start against the USA

The German wheelchair basketball team got off to a terrible start in their medal quest at the Paralympics in Paris.

The team led by athlete spokesperson Mareike Miller lost to fellow favorites USA 44:73 (20:41) and was only able to play on equal terms in the first quarter. However, the botched start did not have serious consequences; the preliminary round was only used to determine the seeding list for the knockout round.

The quarter-finals will be played there in a cross-over with the parallel group. The worse Germany performs in the group phase, the harder the upcoming opponents will be. The next match is on Sunday against Japan (12:45 p.m.), before the final match against another favorite, the Netherlands, on Monday (9:30 p.m.). Miller was the best scorer against the USA with 21 points in the Bercy Arena.

After finishing fourth in Tokyo, Miller had announced “a medal” as his goal beforehand. “I trust our team to do it. We were also at the level to take home a medal in 2021,” the 34-year-old told “SID”: “But the competition has not become less, it depends on the form of the tournament. Through.” The reduction to eight teams means that only teams on the same level will compete.