“We didn’t have time to come down”, after the world title in 3×3 basketball

Urcuit proud of his world champion. Hortense Limouzin and her three teammates from the French 3×3 basketball team won the title of world champions, this Sunday, June 26 in Antwerp (Belgium), taking over Canada in the final (16-13). A historic coronation, the first for Les Bleues in this discipline. The consecration for the young basketball player, who started basketball at the age of six in the Denek Bat Urcuit club, before joining Anglet then the Basket-Landes training center. 24 hours after this title, the Urcuitoise, which will blow out its 24th candle on July 1, is still on its little cloud.

France Bleu Pays Basque: In what state of mind are you a few hours after winning this title?

Hortense Limouzin: We haven’t had time to go down yet, clearly. For the moment, we do not realize too much. So sometimes, we take little seconds and we say to ourselves “Wait girls, that’s really what we did”. But it’s great! This euphoria is a state that is great and when we come back down, it will be just as magical. For now, it’s just happiness. It’s historic. It’s the first title of world champion in 3-3 and it’s true that it will do a lot of good for this discipline, which I think deserves a lot.

When did you say to yourself this title can no longer escape us? The trigger was the victory in the quarter-finals against your rivals from Spain?

I don’t think that at any time, we doubted. Afterwards, it’s true that this match against Spain, which is won in overtime on a snatch basket. At that moment, we say to ourselves “ok now, let’s breathe a little bit”, but there is a big, big, big opponent to go after again, which is China, the next day. And at the end of the victory match against China, we looked into each other’s eyes and made a promise. Laëtitia (Guapo, editor’s note) told us: “Girls, you make me a promise, we go home with no charms other than the gold medal.” So much for the feelings at the time.

Can this performance create additional enthusiasm for this discipline of 3-3?

Sure ! After the Olympic Games in Tokyo, after the European Cup in Paris, it took on a huge media boom. People liked it very much. It’s a game, a sport, telegenic. And this World Cup, I think viewers, through their television, see people surpass themselves, whether it’s the group of boys who were very strong and who put a lot of heart, and we also who went to seek this huge performance, I think these are things that cannot, more highlight the 3-3 today.

And at that moment, we think back to all the road traveled to get to where you are?

All my childhood, I spent it the Basque Country and it is the Southwest. I have always had my family, in Urcuit, Biarritz and in Paris. Afterwards, it’s true that I left very early for the hope center, in the Landes. Then, I moved to the right, to the left, region, we can no longer identify each time, whether in the North or Brittany. I’m going back to the North next year. Leaving home early is not easy, it requires a lot of sacrifices. But it allows me today to live from my passion on a daily basis and it is frankly enormous. It also allows me to realize the beautiful region in which we come, and I cherish the moments spent in the southwest even more now.

Will we have the chance to see you on the court of Indarka in the next weeks or the next months?

I think I’m going to go back in July a bit, it seems to me that we have a little time to cut. Generally, when I return to Urcuit, I try to go through Indarka, to continue playing a little bit. Every year, I always enjoy going for a few shots in the gym, it’s really cool.

You who also went through Anglet Côte Basque Basket, what is your view on the rise won by the ACBB in National 1?

Of course, I followed! The coach, Baptiste Ibarlosa, is someone I am very close to and with certain players, including his little sister Léa, we experienced a lot of things when I was in Anglet, precisely in cadets de France. And it’s true that since I left, I’ve been there because I know it’s a club that, for a long time and when I was there, made the play-offs quite regularly, every year. A club that wanted to go up. And we pulled the rug out from under them a bit when they were a bit at their peak at the time of Covid-19. And succeed in doing what they did, hold on over time and get this status of vice-champion of France with the climb, assured, I think it’s really very strong. I follow it closely and I would dream of being able to go see them play. Now that they are in Nationale 1, there is a little more chance that it will be a little closer to where I would be.