Monday, october 23nd, 2023.- The Chilean female 3x3 basketball team achieved an unprecedented bronze medal in this discipline, which is played in the Pan American Games for the second time, following its debut in Lima 2019.

The home team defeated Puerto Rico 21-11 with 07:08 left to play, thanks to a shot by Jovanka Ljubetic, who was the top scorer for the Chilean team with six points, along with Javiera Novión and Ziomara Morrison, who also had a six-point contribution. Fernanda Ovalle, the fourth member of the team, added four points to secure this Pan American bronze.

After the hugs on the court, Jovanka Ljubetic commented on this achievement, which could have been gold if they hadn't lost in the semifinals to the United States.

"We are very happy with the girls. From the moment we started with 3x3, we aimed to reach the final, and we had no other image in our minds. The defeat against the United States was tough, but thanks to God, we gathered the strength to face Puerto Rico, which is not a minor opponent. We are pleased because we tried to give our best in this game," said the Chilean basketball player, delighted to have secured the two points for her team.

With this achievement, Chile now has a total of 14 medals on the medal table: two gold, six silver, and six bronze, temporarily placing them in seventh place on the leaderboard.

Written by Erwin Acevedo; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Alex Diaz/Santiago 2023 / Photosport