3×3 basketball’s popularity is growing rapidly and faster than anybody could predict 10 years ago. The natural dynamic rhythm of the game, thrilling fixtures, and wild crowd at the stands are guaranteeing good fun for all people who watch the sport.
Men’s competitions are more attractive because of the physical aspect, but competitions of other gender are also becoming interesting as time passes. Ladies play with some unexplainable elegancy and relaxation which contributes to the beauty of fixtures. One of the best players in history in this sex is Laetitia Guapo. Let’s dive into her story.
How did Laetitia start to play for the French 3×3 team?
Laetitia joined Les Bleus in 2019 and a roster that involved Ana Maria Filip, Caroline Heriaud, Migna Toure, Maria-Eve Paget, and Alice Nayo.
Alice Nayo and Guapo battled for the same position in the squad in that debut season of the Women’s Series which was the first-ever competition organized for women. However, Letitia managed to stand out in that contest with great individual statistical records.
The hero of our story already knew Migna Toure, Caroline Heriaud, and Maria-Eve Paget because they played basketball together at a younger age.
Laetitia Guapo heard from stories about Ana Maria Filip, a 30-year-old center before she became her teammate in the French team.
How successful was Guapo in the first Women’s Series season?
Winning 6 tournaments within the 2019 Women’s Series was a massive achievement for Laetitia and her teammates. Competitions won in Turin, Ekaterinburg, La Rochelle, Voiron, Debrecen, and Udine were confirmations that this team was full of quality. Consequentially, Guapo adapted well to the styles of play of other girls in the squad.
Player no.5 in the world right now ended 2019 fifth in the player’s standings with 5.2 points per game throughout total of 35 fixtures.
Which result did Laetitia achieve in the 2019 World Cup?
Migna Toure, Marie-Eve Paget, Ana Maria Filip, and Laetitia Guapo were a powerful quartet called to represent Les Bleus in the 2019 planetary championship.
They already had some experience playing together in the Women’s Series, so the chemistry between ladies was not a problem in their chase for glory at the 2019 World Cup. France competed in group B along with Australia, Switzerland, Japan, and Andorra.
Eventually, Laetitia and the ladies won convincingly all four fixtures in the pool stage and proceeded to the quarterfinals where they beat Italy with 15-9. Unfortunately, Hungary was too strong in the semi and pulled out a 14-10 victory.
The dream of gold in her debut appearance at the World Cup was crushed, but Guapo’s team redeemed in the game for the bronze medal by beating Australia.
How far did go Les Bleus in the 2019 Europe Cup?
The same four players took part in the continental championship three months after winning the bronze medal in Amsterdam. Laetitia wanted to go higher compared to the previous tournament believing the final game was destined for her and her teammates.
Playing against Hungary and Poland in pool C was challenging as the French team won against Poland and suffered a defeat against Hungary.
Despite one more loss against the Hungarian squad, France qualified for the elimination stage and the match against Russia was waiting for the ladies.
Russia, Latvia, and Spain were beaten on the road to a mythological gold medal at the 2019 Europe Cup which was a real breakthrough for the French 3×3 women’s squad in their history.
Which trophies did Guapo win at the 2021 Women’s Series?
The 2020 Women’s Series was not held after a horrible pandemic hit the world all of a sudden.
Ladies had to wait until next year to compete at the highest level at the 2021 Women’s Series. After missing the first stop at Mies, the French squad participated in Voiron. Laetitia Guapo, Soana Lucet, Maria-Eve Paget, and Migna Toure were involved in the roster that won the Voiron stop beating Spain in the final with 22-13.
Later, French ladies repeated the result from the previous Stop as they clinched the trophy in the city Poitiers. Laetitia ended the tournament where Russia was beaten in the final with 5.4 points per game.
How did Laetitia Guapo perform during the Olympic Games?
France was represented at the first-ever 2021 Olympic Games in this beautiful sport by Laetitia Guapo, Maria-Eve Paget, and Migna Toure. The Olympic tournament proposed that those eight teams compete, so everyone played against everyone.
Les Bleus ended the first phase of the competition with a 4-3 score at 5th place, so they had to play for the semifinal against the 4th placed team. Guapo and her teammates defeated Japan in a tight clash with 16-14, but were stopped in achieving their dream against the mighty USA with 18-16. Later, China beat devastated French ladies in the game for a bronze medal.
What happened with Guapo’s team at the 2022 World Cup?
Laetitia established herself as one of the best 3×3 players on the planet until 2022, so her ambitions on personal and team level were very high for this calendar year. Logically, she got an invitation to perform for Les Bleus at the 2022 World Cup along with Myriam Djekoundade, Hortense Limouzin, and Marie-Eve Paget.
After passing the group stage, France beat Mongolia, Spain, China, and Canada to clinch the first-ever World Cup. Securing a victory over Canada with 16-13 was a result of excellent teamwork of all players, while Guapo got the MVP award as the best scorer of the team in the competition.
Which place did Laetitia’s team take at the 2022 Europe Cup?
Three months later, Maria Mane replaced Marie-Eve Paget in the roster which gave a lot of euphoria to French 3×3 basketball fans. Battling against Switzerland and Romania in group A for two spots in the quarterfinals didn’t turn out to be a hard task for Les Blues.
Lithuania, Spain, and Netherlands were beaten in the elimination phase for the new gold medal at the 2022 Europe Cup.
How good was her performance in the third edition of the Women’s Series?
Guapo didn’t take part in every stop of the 2022 Women’s Series France competed in, but her role was important in tournaments where she participated in. Laetitia played in Bordeaux, Edmonton, Quebec, Eaubonne, and Constanta taking 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 2nd place respectively.
The final contest in the Romanian city Constanta was super thrilling as Les Bleus faced their biggest rivals Canada in the fixture for the gold medal. After a great start of French ladies, Canada made an amazing comeback thanks to sisters Michelle and Katherine Plouffe in the middle of a game and won the clash.
Unfortunately, Laetitia’s 5 points in that fixture and through total of 35 games were not enough for pulling out a victory in Romania.
What are the biggest flaws and virtues of Guapo as a player?
According to experts, spectators see sometimes oversaturated Laetitia on the field due to her constant engagement in the training. She is an adrenalin junkie who always likes to challenge herself in every segment of play and life, so Guapo’s fatigue is visible once in a while during the games.
On the other side, her incredible speed and athleticism perfectly suit the rhythm of 3×3 games. Guapo can show a high level of endurance when her energy is directed properly and focused on the peak of the games. Laetitia possesses very useful virtue which can bring her team victories in crucial moments of tournaments.
Laetitia maybe didn’t win Olympic Games yet, but it looks like it will happen soon. Her commitment and the steps she makes toward that goal are visible to any objective spectator of this amazing game. Will Guapo be able to achieve that goal in her home country France in 2024?
Or at one of the next Olympic games? Nobody knows, but everybody is sure that the French lady is now in her best years to produce unimaginable in the world of 3×3 basketball.
A gold medal at the Olympics is the only thing she lacks in her lucrative career so far. We hope that will change very soon.
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