[Source: Reuters]

The Netherlands won gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball by edging France 18-17 in overtime in the final at the Paris Olympics, just a few minutes after Germany had earned their first international title in the women’s tournament.

France were backed by a passionate crowd, but Worthy de Jong, instantly recognisable with his bleached blond hair, tied the score in the last seconds of regulation and sealed the title for the Dutch with a two-point, long-range shot in overtime.

“To end like this is amazing. These shots are how legends are made,” de Jong said.

“We came here with a goal and we made it. This is our canvass and like Picasso, we painted a masterpiece.”

On the women’s side, Germany beat Spain 17-16 after Sonja Greinacher hit a two-pointer that gave them a decisive lead with 30 seconds remaining at Place de la Concorde.

Greinacher had already scintillated in a back-and-forth semi-final contest against the Canada, delivering 11 points and five rebounds for a 16-15 win.

“We definitely wanted that gold medal,” Greinacher said after getting a congratulatory hug courtside from compatriot and 14-times NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

“I think we just wanted to enjoy our last game together as a group. That was the biggest goal of it all, to just enjoy.”

The men’s bronze went to Lithuania after they dispatched Tokyo gold medallists Latvia 21-18, who picked a bad day to suffer their only two losses of the tournament.

The United States, who won the women’s gold in Tokyo, prevailed over Canada 16-13 to claim bronze this time around, a consolation prize after losing 18-16 to Spain in overtime in the semi-finals.

“After we lost this morning and had our gold dream crushed, we were down,” said American Hailey van Lith.

“We were kind of feeling sorry for ourselves. It took a lot of mental toughness just to compete in this game,” she added.