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Juancho Hernangómez was Spain's most successful thrower
Photo: Soeren Stache / dpa
Spain's basketball players are European champions for the fourth time.
Coach Sergio Scariolo's team defeated France, who came second at the Olympics, in the final in Berlin 88:76 (47:37), crowning a strong tournament performance.
The world champion's best thrower was Juancho Hernangómez, who scored 27 points and converted six three-pointers in the first half.
Willy Hernangómez (14) and Lorenzo Brown (14) also contributed to the world champion's success in front of 13,042 spectators in the arena, which was not sold out.
For Spain it was the first tournament after the era of the two Gasol brothers Marc and Pau.
The two playmakers Ricky Rubio and Sergio Llull were also absent from the title fights with the finals in Berlin.
The Iberians had previously won gold at the European Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2015.
France's only European Championship title dates back to 2013.
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This time, like at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the French only came second.
Coach Vincent Collet's team, who were on the brink of being eliminated in the round of 16 against Turkey and in the quarter-finals against Italy, played below their potential, especially in the first half.
NBA professional Rudy Gobert (six points, six rebounds) showed an unusually weak game.
The French's best pitcher was Evan Fournier with 23 points.
In the game for third place, the German team beat Poland 82:69.
The selection of national coach Gordon Herbert failed in the semifinals because of Spain.
Bronze is the first European Championship medal for the German basketball team since 2005, when Dirk Nowitzki's generation won silver in Serbia.
Germany's captain Dennis Schröder was also voted into the tournament's all-star team.
The 29-year-old point guard was honored for his outstanding performance at the European Championship.
According to the journalists present, the top five of the tournament also included the Spaniards Brown and Willy Hernangómez, as well as Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece and France's Gobert.
Hernangómez, from European champions Spain, was named the tournament's most valuable player.
cev/dpa