Nigeria’s D’Tigress pulled off an unlikely upset by defeating the third best ranked female basketball team, Australia, 75:62, at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
This was the opening game for both teams. It was Nigeria’s first win at the Olympics since 2004. Coaches and players from the Nigerian side were soaked in the moment, taking in the cheers from the crowd, as they stood at center court.
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. The players and coaches didn’t want to get into the specifics of what happened Friday night.
Just a year after taking over as coach of the team, 32 year old Rema Wakama became the first female coach to ever win an Afrobasket title, won Nigeria’s 4th consecutive and 6th all-time Afrobasket title, became the first coach to lead Nigeria to a victory against a Top 3 ranked team at the Olympics. 32 year old Coach, Rema Wakama (32 years), just a year in charge of D’Tigress.