In a spectacular atmosphere, with a huge participation of spectators and with Greece sitting round on two thrones, the curtain fell on Tuesday September 12th evening at the Heraklion Marina on the 3×3 Basketball Tournament in the context of the 3rd Mediterranean Beach Games.

Host Greece dominated both the men’s and women’s events, winning the first gold medals in its history at official international events.

In the men’s final, which turned into a thriller, Greece prevailed against Croatia 12-11.

Greece led 7-1 and looked like they would prevail comfortably, but the Croatians fought back, going on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 7-7.

At that crucial point, Vasileios Zarkadoulas took action, scoring three of the last five points to seal the deal.

“We wrote history, a wonderful story that we want, can and must continue” commented coach Angelo Tsagarakis with emotion.

“After 13 years, Greece wins a medal in an international event and this success is an important deposit for the future. We deserved to win the gold medal in both men and women, we proved that we are here and we are looking forward.”

As soon as the final horn sounded, Vasileios Zarkadoulas shouted a long-drawn “Yes” expressing his redemption for the triumph, while at the same time Ilias Petridis lay on the floor overcome by his emotion.

“Our efforts and efforts have been rewarded. This is the first medal we have won in an international event and I believe that the future belongs to us, as long as we work with a plan and with dedication. We are friends with each other, we have created a beautiful company and we are looking forward to the future”, emphasized Zarkadoulas.

Regarding the flow of the final, the player of the Greek team commented: “When we led 7-1 we lost our concentration. The Croatians hit two big shots and came back in the match, but luckily we cleared our minds again and kept the win and the gold medal.”

On the other side, after thanking Greece “for this wonderful event”, Luka Juricki gave his own perspective on the flow of the final: “In the first five minutes we played very badly, mainly because we didn’t have proper movement and good circulation of the ball, that’s why we’re six points behind. We recovered, but the Greek team is physically stronger than us and dominated the game inside the basket. After 7-7 we missed some easy shots and made some costly mistakes.”

The bronze medal in the men’s Tournament was won by Slovenia, by beating Algeria 12-10.

“Third place is better than fourth place. We come back with the bronze medal which is not the best, but we don’t underestimate it either” commented Jaka Oberlazt, who also referred to the defeat by Greece in the semi-final: “We couldn’t be competitive because our opponents completely dominated thanks to their superiority in height and strength”.

In the semi-finals of the Men’s Tournament, Greece defeated Slovenia by a walk 21-5, while Croatia prevailed over Algeria 13-10.

In the women’s final game, Greece, thanks to its solid defense and key offensive strikes, prevailed against Slovenia 11-9 and won the first gold medal of the evening.

The Greek team after 6-6 never looked back and did not allow Slovenia to react and claim the victory.

“When we came to Heraklion, I had in mind the possibility of winning a medal, but I have to admit that what I am living and feeling now is indescribable,” emphasized Ioanna Chatzivasileiou.

“We played with will and passion and we had the composure needed to manage the match. We are still in the stage of learning the game properly, but we have an amazing teacher. I consider it not just a privilege, but a blessing to be taught and directed by Angelo Tsagarakis, a personality of international scope. Our program started last year and hopefully the best is yet to come.”

In the semifinals of the women’s Tournament, Greece defeated Tunisia 21-12, while Slovenia beat Croatia 12-10.

In the women’s bronze medal game, Croatia survived a thriller to defeat Tunisia 14-12 in overtime (12-12 in regular time).

“I feel satisfied, but at the same time tired,” commented Nikoline Dujic with a smile. “I think the elements that gave us the win were our defensive commitment and the fact that we made smart moves and made the right decisions in attack.”