Montreal (Quebec, Canada), one of the most stunning and contemporary sites in the Western Hemisphere, hosted the First Women’s Basketball Olympic Tournament in 1976. Six international locations competed for the gold medal, together with Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Japan. The global meet was gained by way of the women’s countrywide team of the Soviet Union (gift-day Russia). A slightly a year in advance, the Soviet crew got here in first inside the VII Global championship in Cali, Colombia (South America) via beating Japan within the gold-medal match. Meanwhile, on July 23, 1976, America claimed second location within the multi-recreation event after losing to the U.S. (spearheaded by way of its worldwide megastar Uljana Semjonova) 112-77, having earned the right to compete inside the XXIII Olympiad through triumphing the First FIBA Women’s Basketball Olympic Games Qualification Tournament at Hamilton (Ontario, Canada). The silver medalists have been Lusia Harris, Cindy Brogdon, Susan Rojcewicz, Ann Meyers, Julienne Simpson, Patricia Head, Mary Anne O’Connor, Patricia Roberts, Gail Marquis, Nancy Lieberman, Charlotte Lewis, and Nancy Dunkle. The US group started out its pre-Olympic education after winning the VI Pan American Cup in Mexico City in October 1975.

Moscow 1980

Under the management of Semjonova, the USA, host nation, gained the Olympic Tournament at Moscow in 1980, observed by Bulgaria (silver medal), Yugoslavia (bronze), Hungary (4th), Cuba (fifth) and Italy (6th). It changed into the second Olympian win for the U.S. (additionally called the Soviet Union throughout Cold War). On the alternative hand, Latvia’s giant Uljana Semjonova became the most top-notch basketball player at Moscow ’80. For the subsequent years, the 7-foot-1, 284-pound Semjonova was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield (Maryland), the primary girl participant from the previous USSR to accomplish that feat.

Los Angeles 1984

For the primary ever, the USA girls’ basketball squad captured the Olympian Championship in Southern California. The People’s Republic of China collected the silver medal. The bronze medal went to the Republic of Korea; East Europe’s groups did now not participate at the 1984 Olympiad due to Moscow’s boycott. On its way to the Los Angeles Games, the USA crew – with incredible sportswomen such as Janice Lawrence, Cheryl Miller, and Lynette Woodard – won the IX Pan American Sports Games on Venezuelan soil in August 1983. In Venezuela, America defeated Cuba 100-eighty two (forty three-38) to win the Pan American gold medal. A few weeks in the past, they got here close to triumphing the FIBA World Cup on Brazilian soil.

Seoul 1988

On October 29, 1988, in South Korea’s capital city of Seoul, the U.S. Girls’ group took gold in the Olympian occasion, after finishing first in the course of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles (California). In the finals, they defeated Yugoslavia seventy seven-70 (42-36). Nonetheless, the “most exciting sport” was whilst America, led by its All-Star participant Teresa Edwards, beat the Soviet Union 102-88 (50-39) on October 27 (semis). The States received the Olympian trophy with the subsequent global-class gamers: Suzanne McConnell, Cynthia Cooper, Jennifer Gillom, Katrina McClain, Andrea Lloyd, Victoria Bullett, Bridgette Gordon, Teresa Weatherspoon, Anne Donovan, Cynthia Brown, Mary Ethridge, and Miss Edwards. Two years ago, in 1986, that they had gained the worldwide event within the Russian capital of Moscow. In the latter 1/2 of the 20th century, America’s Edwards made history whilst she captured 4 golds inside the Summer Games from the Eighties to the early 2000s: Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. Uljana Semjonova (Latvia), Hortencia Fatima Marcari (Brazil) and Edwards are taken into consideration the most well-known woman gamers in Olympian records.