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Basketball - 31. January 2015.

Barthold has high hopes for Sweden



Anna Barthold (SWE) - EuroBasket Women 2013

That was certainly true for one athlete who had always shown up for practice with a burning desire to get better, a Swedish basketball player who wore her heart on her sleeve and never lost hope of earning a spot on the big stage.

Good things came to Anna Barthold.

An energetic, physical and fiery power forward who has played for Sweden since 2005, Barthold competed in Division B and Division A but never in a EuroBasket Women Final Round until 2013.

Once there, she played an important role for a Swedish side that not only shocked Russia but reached the Quarter-Finals and came within an eyelash of upsetting tournament hosts France.

"It meant a lot," Barthold said to FIBA.com. 

"The first championship in Sweden for 25 years [since EuroBasket Women 1987], it meant a lot for everyone and me as well."

You can look back at EuroBasket Women 2013 and remember a lot of interesting and exciting moments.

Spain's clash with Russia in the opening round was full of drama, as was Serbia's unexpected run to the Semi-Finals.

Sweden's clash with France, most people would agree, was the game of the tournament, an end-to-end affair played in front of a 5,500-sellout crowd in Orchies.

Barthold's team very nearly knocked the hosts, who had captured silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, out of the medal hunt.

The Swedes led 77-73 with 2:50 remaining but Celine Dumerc rescued Les Bleues with a couple of three-pointers.

"A lot of people saw the game and they realized we should have won that game," Barthold said. 

"It was such a close game. There were a couple of fouls at the end, those threes from Dumerc."

Barthold had eight points, six rebounds and one of Sweden's two steals in that game.

"France have a really good team and they did a good championship as well," she said. 

If you want to win medals, you have to beat all the great teams. - Barthold

Sweden crashed to a heavy defeat to Belarus in their next game and failed to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women.

Their presence at the EuroBasket Women though was cause for celebration.

Neutrals enjoyed discovering a new team, one that played hard but attractive basketball.

The experience also benefitted all of the players.

Barthold returned to Sweden and led Northland to the Basketligan title.

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