Big basketball weekend for France at Paris Olympics as the men's and women's teams play for gold

Big basketball weekend for France at Paris Olympics as the men’s and women’s teams play for gold

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Alexia Chery (6), Iliana Rupert (12), and Marieme Badiane (22), of France, celebrate after France beat Belgium during a women’s semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Marine Fauthoux (4), of France, celebrates after France beat Belgium during a women’s semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Iliana Rupert (12) and Marine Johannes (23), of France, celebrate a basket against Belgium during a women’s semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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The United States team celebrates after beating Australia in a women’s semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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United States’ Breanna Stewart (10) and Brittney Griner (15) slap hands against Australia during a women’s semifinal basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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United States’ Kevin Durant (7), LeBron James (6) and Steph Curry (4) celebrate after beating Serbia during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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United States’ Stephen Curry (4) celebrates against Serbia during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Frank Ntilikina (1), of France and Bilal Coulibaly (99), of France celebrate after beating Germany during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Team France celebrates after beating Germany during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Mathias Lessort (26), of France and Rudy Gobert (27), of France celebrate after beating Germany during a men’s semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By TERESA M. WALKER

PARIS (AP) — France is set for a big basketball weekend to cap the Paris Olympics, with both the men’s and women’s teams playing for gold medals.

And they’re playing the Americans.

It’s not surprising the men’s team made it to the title game. They lost to the U.S. at the Tokyo Games three years ago in the title game and this time around are led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.

For France’s women, they’ll finally get a rematch with the U.S. that’s been a long time in the making.

France lost to the Americans in the gold-medal game at the 2012 London Olympics. The French team didn’t get a chance to take on the U.S. in Tokyo, losing in the semifinals to host Japan — though France did take home the bronze.

France had to go to overtime Friday night to beat Belgium to reach Sunday’s final.

French guard Marine Johannes said they had talked about the possibility of both teams reaching the gold medal game after the men won Thursday. She called it great opportunity for French basketball.

“Everyone like was talking about this final, France against USA for the men’s team, but also for us,” Johannes said. “So I think it’s a perfect matchup.”

They will not be lacking for support.

Whenever the French teams have played — whether in Lille during pool play or now in Paris at Bercy Arena — fans not been timid in showing up and showing out.

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U.S. forward Breanna Stewart is looking forward to the environment.

“Just the way that the fans are continuing to support their countries and come out to France,” Stewart said, "... hopefully we got some from the United States coming. They’re being loud and making an impact in women’s sports.”

The U.S. men did their part in setting up the Americans against the French on Thursday night, rallying from 17 down to beat Serbia. With France beating World Cup champ Germany, that set up a rematch of the 2021 Tokyo Games gold-medal game.

On Friday, the U.S. women beat Australia 84-67 ensuring they advanced to an eighth straight Olympic gold medal game. Then France beat Belgium 82-75 in the other semifinal, giving the host nation a chance at sweeping a pair of gold medals in basketball.

This is the second straight Olympics that the U.S. women will play the host nation after beating Japan three years ago in the Tokyo Games. But that was different. There were no fans due to the pandemic restrictions.

Not this time.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)