February 28, 2022 - It was a double-overtime win for Croatia against Sweden in the 4th round of the 2023 Basketball World Cup qualifiers!

Croatia and Sweden met in Norrköping on Monday, with Croatia celebrating after double overtime 105-98 (14-21, 12-20, 24-18, 29-20 / 9-9, 17-10). Their first victory in the group keeps their chances alive of advancing to the next round.

In the marathon match in Norrköping, Croatia reached their first victory in the group, winning after two overtime periods. Filip Krušlin scored in the first overtime five seconds before the buzzer, and Goran Filipović scored a three-pointer in the second overtime.

Croatia was behind for almost the entire game, and Sweden led by 15 points at halftime (25-41). However, Croatia was able to turn things around in the last quarter. 

Three minutes before the end, Croatia took the 73-70 lead to bring the game to the dramatic finale. Sweden's Hackanson hit three free throws for 79-77 just 27 seconds before the end, but Filip Krušlin equalized five seconds before the final buzzer and took the game into overtime.

Sweden was ahead in the first five additional minutes, but Goran Filipović scored a three-pointer for 88-88 with 16 seconds to go. Ramljak then blocked Hackanson, and the second overtime came into play. 

With three-pointers by Ramljak and Krušlin, Croatia gained an advantage of 96-90. A new three-pointer by Tomislav Zubčić two minutes before the end put Croatia ahead 101-95, an advantage they managed to keep until the final buzzer. 

Goran Filipović was the best for Croatia with 29 points, Filip Krušlin scored 21, and Karlo Matković 16, while Ludvig Hakanson led Sweden with 31. 

In this group, Finland previously beat Slovenia 83-79 away.

Finland has three victories, Slovenia and Sweden two, and Croatia one. The first three national teams in the group move to the next round of the competition.

Croatia still needs to play Finland and Slovenia.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

February. 15, 2022 - The second set of qualifying matches for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup starts in ten days. Croatia coach Damir Mulaomerović has published the list of players he will use for the next two games. 

On Friday, February 25, starting at 18:30, the Croatia national team will host Sweden in Zagreb, and on Sunday, February 28, starting at 19:00, Croatia will finish the second set of matches in the Swedish town of Norrkoping.

The coach of the national team, Damir Mulaomerović, published a wider national team list with 24 candidates. The coach conducted many interviews and sent an invitation to all representative candidates who, given the competition system, can participate at all. For example, Miro Bilan thanked Mulaomerović for the invitation, saying that he wants to leave the national team jersey to the younger players, while Ivan Buva has a hip injury. Mario Hezonja and Kruno Simon, Croatian Euroleague players who would mean a lot to the national team, are also on the wider list.

List of players

Roko Badžim – Szolnoki
Darko Bajo – KK Split
Josip Batinić – KK Cedevita Junior
Danko Branković – KK Cibona
Filip Bundović – KK Cedevita Junor
Dario Drežnjak – KK Zadar
Mateo Drežnjak – KK Cibona
Goran Filipović – KK Cedevita Junior
Lovro Gnjidić – KK Cibona
Mario Hezonja – UNICS Kazan
Antonio Jordano – KK Zadar
Mate Kalajžić – KK Gorica
Filip Krušlin – Dinamo Sassari
Pavle Marčinković – KK Zadar
Karlo Matković – Mega Mozzart
Dominik Mavra – KK Zadar
Ivan Ramljak – Slask Wroclaw
Roko Rogić – Twarde Pierniki Torun
Matej Rudan – Mega Mozzart
Krunoslav Simon – Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Sven Smajlagić – Nevezis
Željko Šakić – Avtodor
Antonio Vranković – JIP Pardubice
Tomislav Zubčić – Tofaş S.K.
Coach: Damir Mulaomerović
Assistant coach: Aramis Naglić
Assistant coach: Vladimir Krstić

2nd cycle of 2023 Basketball World Cup qualifications
February 25, 2022 at 18:30 Croatia - Sweden (KC Dražen Petrović, Zagreb)
February 28, 2022 at 19:00 Sweden - Croatia (Norrkoping)
*Tickets for the home match against Sweden are on sale at ulaznice.hr, and both matches will be broadcast live by SportKlub.

The 2023 World Cup qualifiers are played in six qualifying cycles of two matches, divided into rounds 1 and 2, as was the case with the qualifiers for the last World Cup. The next cycles are in June 2022, August 2022, November 2022, and February 2023.

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia next year. 

Source: HKS

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 26, 2022 - The new Croatia national team basketball coach, Damir Mulaomerović, was presented at a press conference held on Tuesday at the Aristos Hotel in Zagreb. 

The president of the Croatian Basketball Federation, Stojko Vranković, the vice-president, Nikola Rukavina, and the general secretary, Josip Vranković, were also present at the conference.

"Congratulations to the coach Damir Mulaomerović and I thank him because it is not a great situation in terms of results. However, knowing Damir, not only as a player but also as a man, knowing his character, I think he will do his best to do a good job and get good results," said HKS president Stojko Vranković in the introductory speech.

HKS vice president Nikola Rukavina, as well as the president, congratulated the new coach: "I would like to wish Damir and the entire Federation success in the coming period, and I hope that we will return basketball to some more successful paths. Damir, congratulations, and I wish you much success!"

General Secretary Josip Vranković also joined the congratulations: "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Damir on his new position at this difficult time. At the same time, I would like to clarify a few technical details. As you know, the Federation has always insisted in its ranks, given all the circumstances, but at this point, we had to respect the current situation. Thus, Damir will continue to work as the Cedevita Junior coach at the same time as the Croatia coach. This is not the first time - and last year, when Zadar was in a specific situation, there was understanding, and HKS met Zadar in a certain way. However, on this occasion, the situation went in the opposite direction." 

Coach Damir Mulaomerović thanked the media representatives for the great response, as well as the HKS leadership for the opportunity and trust, and continued: "I must also emphasize that Veljko's decision should be respected and he should be thanked for what he did. We will try to mobilize and do what is best in exactly one month until the games against Sweden. I have already started some conversations with the players, and I think it will be quite good. I know there will be a lot of questions, there will be people for and against, that is normal. However, you all more or less know me as a player and now as a coach, and you know that I am a man of character and that I will do my best for the best possible results."

Asked if he was hesitant when the call came, coach Mulaomerovic replied: "The conversation went quite well. It was a logical sequence given that I know the material and the players, and I must emphasize that I am thrilled that these people sitting here believe in me and what I do. It would be ungrateful to leave them, especially in this situation, I think it is clear to everyone.

We will all do everything in our power to win these two games and restore hope and everything after that. The deciding factor was that I know these players best since most of them will be from the domestic championship; we are all aware of the problems with the players. Of course, we will try to get players from outside, talk to everyone."

"As for the players' response, we will call everyone, give everyone a chance to express themselves. We are interested in players who want to play, who will be there for Croatia, especially in moments like this. I think we all need to forget what happened and get the best out of it for what we have.

Another thing, look at the situation in handball with COVID-19; we have to take care of that as well. I want all the players healthy. As for the game itself, I do not doubt those guys. They will be asked to do their best. I will try with my knowledge and energy to create a good atmosphere and for the guys to come out and show everything they know. First of all, we are focusing on that first game, which is the most important at the moment."

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 19, 2022 - The Croatian Basketball Federation and the Croatia men's national team coach, Veljko Mršić, have reached an agreement to terminate cooperation.

Veljko Mršić took over the national team by the decision of the HKS Board of Directors in May 2019, led the first games in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and together with his professional staff, and great effort of players, successfully passed through the qualifications for the European championship.

At the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Split, Croatia did not secure a spot in Japan. In November 2021, a new cycle of qualifications for the World Cup began. The national team started with two defeats and now faces a difficult path in the fight to qualify. The European Championship is scheduled for September 2022.

A session of the HKS Management Board confirming the amicable termination of cooperation was held on January 18, 2022.

"The Croatian Basketball Federation thanks Mr. Mršić for his time and enormous effort, for his contribution to the efforts aimed at strengthening Croatian basketball, and certainly for his cooperation. This way, I would like to wish him a lot of success in his future business engagements," said the president of HKS, Stojko Vranković, when discussing the contract termination. 

Coach Veljko Mršić thanked HKS and his associates for their cooperation:

"After almost three years of good cooperation, I thank the Croatian Basketball Federation for the trust that resulted in the successful placement of the national team at the European Championships, which was defined as the primary goal. A special and sincere thanks go to the players who selflessly gave their best at all times. I would also like to thank all the people who were involved in the work of the national team, the employees of the Federation, and the professional staff for their support. I wish the professional staff support and the entire national team a lot of success in the continuation of the qualifications with a great desire to see Croatia at the World Cup."

The Croatian Basketball Federation will soon comment on further actions regarding the Croatian men's team.

December 7, 2021 - The EuroBasket 2022 will be held in September next year in Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Georgia. Croatia will open the tournament in Milan against Greece, Great Britain, Estonia, Italy, and Ukraine. 

The schedule for the 41st edition of the European Basketball Championship (EuroBasket), which will be held from September 1 to 18 next year in Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Georgia has been announced. The Croatia national basketball team has already qualified for this competition. 

Namely, Croatia will play in Group C at Eurobasket, and all five games will be played in Milan's Mediolanum Forum.

Veljko Mršić's selected team will face Greece in the first round on September 2 at 5:00 pm. A day later at 2:15 pm, Croatia will face Great Britain. The third round is scheduled for September 5, and Croatia will play against Estonia, again at 2:15 pm.

In the 4th round, on September 6, Croatia will play against the host Italy (9:00 pm), and in the last round two days later against Ukraine starting at 2:15 pm.

Spain, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Belgium, and Bulgaria will play in Group A in Tbilisi.

Germany, France, Lithuania, Slovenia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will fight in Group B in Cologne. Group D matches will be played in Prague, and Serbia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Israel, and the Netherlands will compete.

The four best national teams from each group will advance to the round of 16. The national teams from Group C, which includes Croatia, will cross over with the teams from Group D, led by Serbia.

The European Championship continues in Berlin from the round of 16.

SCHEDULE OF GROUP MATCHES:
Round 1 - September 2:
Ukraine - Great Britain (14:15)
CROATIA - Greece (17:00)
Italy - Estonia (21:00)

Round 2 - September 3:
Great Britain - CROATIA (14:15)
Estonia - Ukraine (17:00)
Italy - Greece (21:00)

Round 3 - September 5:
CROATIA - Estonia (14:15)
Great Britain - Greece (17:00)
Ukraine - Italy (21:00)

Round 4 - September 6:
Estonia - Great Britain (14:15)
Greece - Ukraine (17:00)
Italy - CROATIA (21:00)

Round 5 - September 8:
CROATIA - Ukraine (14:15)
Estonia - Greece (17:00)
Great Britain - Italy (21:00)

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 25, 2021 - The Croatia basketball team opened the 2023 Basketball World Cup qualifiers with a loss to Slovenia in Zagreb on Thursday night. 

The Croatia basketball team opened the first round of 2023 World Cup qualifications against Slovenia at the Dražen Petrović hall in Zagreb on Thursday. The 2023 Basketball World Cup will be held in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia, from Friday, August 25, 2023, to Sunday, September 10, 2023.

Lineups

Croatia: Rogić, Marčinković, Drežnjak, Marić, Rudan. Klupa: Gnjidić, Kalajžić, Badžim, Prkačin, Gabrić, Bundović, Branković, Perković.

Slovenia: Rupnik, Blažić, Prepelič, Dimec, Murić. Klupa: Nikolić, Rebec, Lapornik, Hodžić, Čebešek, Kosi, Macura, Habot.

1st Quarter

With a 3-pointer by Bundović, Croatia led 19:16 at the end of the first 10 minutes. It was 11:3 and 16:10 for Croatia, though Slovenia equalized at 16:16.

2nd Quarter

Slovenia went into halftime leading 39:41. Rogić's 3-pointer was too early and too short for a possible lead at halftime. Croatia also had a 10-point advantage, but it was Slovenia to go into the 3rd quarter ahead. 

3rd Quarter 

Croatia led 56:55 going into the last 10 minutes of the game. Bundović was the first player to hit double-digits for Croatia against Slovenia. 

4th Quarter 

The dramatic final quarter saw Croatia maintain the lead, with two minutes to go ahead 72:69. However, Slovenia ultimately came back in the last two minutes to win it 74:76. 

About two thousand spectators came to see the much younger and promising Croatia play in Zagreb tonight. Bundović ended the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. 

The World Cup qualifiers are played in six qualifying cycles of two matches, divided into rounds 1 and 2, as was the case with the qualifiers for the last World Cup. The next cycles are in February 2022, June 2022, August 2022, November 2022, and February 2023.

Croatia plays Finland next in Espoo, part of the more famous Helsinki metropolitan area, on Sunday, November 28 at 18:00.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

November 16, 2021 - Croatia's preparations for the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers will begin this weekend in Zagreb with a broader list of 24 players. Croatia's first qualifying match is on November 25 against Slovenia. 

The Croatia basketball team coach, Veljko Mršić, has announced a wider list of 24 candidates for two upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Most of the players are from the Croatian league and will gather in Zagreb this Saturday to Monday. The list also includes Filip Krušlin and Marin Marić, currently without a club, reports HKS.

The first qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup is just around the corner. Already on Thursday, November 25, at 20:45, the first and most demanding match against Slovenia will be played, and on Sunday, November 28, the first cycle will end in Helsinki against Finland. 

"Yes, this is a wider list that we will shorten after Wednesday and the 11th round of the HT Premier League. Most of the players are from our league, and by then, the situation with injuries and possible coronavirus infections will crystallize. The national team will gather from Saturday night to Monday when we should be in full force. Also, a little earlier, on November 18, I invited a group of players that I want to check further, for example, Filip Krušlin and Marin Marić, who do not have clubs at the moment. There are also some other players who are not on the list of 24 but I want to see them in training because I am counting on them in the future," said coach Mršić.

Player List: Roko Badžim – Szolnok, Darko Bajo – KK Split, Josip Batinić – KK Cedevita Junior, Danko Branković – KK Cibona, Filip Bundović – KK Cedevita Junor, Mateo Čolak – KK Široki, Dario Drežnjak – KK Zadar, Mateo Drežnjak – KK Cibona, Tomislav Gabrić – Elan Chalon, Lovro Gnjidić – KK Cibona, Mario Hezonja – UNICS Kazan, Antonio Jordano – KK Zadar, Mate Kalajžić – KK Gorica, Filip Krušlin, Pavle Marčinković – KK Zadar, Marin Marić, Dominik Mavra – KK Zadar, Toni Perković – KK Split, Roko Prkačin – KK Cibona, Krešimir Radovčić – KK Cibona, Roko Rogić – Szolnok, Matej Rudan – Mega Vizura, Antonio Vranković – KK Cibona i Karlo Žganec – KK Split.

The FIBA World Cup qualifiers are played in six qualifying cycles of two matches, divided into rounds 1 and 2, as was the case for the last World Cup qualifiers. The next cycles are February 2022, June 2022, August 2022, November 2022, and February 2023.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

September 1, 2021 - The Croatia basketball 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifier group has been announced! 

In Tuesday's draw for the World Cup qualifiers, Croatia learned its European opponents. Croatia will face Sweden, Slovenia, and Finland in the hope of qualifying for a place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines (Jakarta, Okinawa, Manila).

The draw took place at the Patrick Baumann Basketball House in Mies, Switzerland. It was closed due to the epidemiological situation and could only be watched live on the FIBA ​​YouTube channel.

The qualifiers will be played in six cycles over 15 months. Eighty countries acquired the right to qualify, and in a total of 420 matches, 32 national teams will eventually qualify.

32 national teams entered the qualifications at the European level, and we will only see 12 of them at the World Cup. The national teams were divided into eight groups (A-H) of four teams, and in the first phase, each team will have the opportunity to play six games, i.e., home and away games against each opponent in the group.

Group A: Serbia, Slovakia, Belgium, Latvia
Group B: Belarus, Great Britain, Greece, Turkey,
Group C: Croatia, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia
Group D: Israel, Germany, Estonia, Poland
Group E: France, Portugal, Hungary, Montenegro
Group F: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic
Group G: Georgia, Northern Macedonia, Spain, Ukraine
Group H: Russia, the Netherlands, Iceland, Italy

The last-place team in each group is eliminated from the race for the World Cup, and four new groups (I-L) are formed with six participating countries each, which transfer their results to the next phase. Each national team will play six games at home and away against three national teams in their group with which they did not meet in the qualifiers. After all the matches are played, the three first-place teams from each group will win a ticket to the World Cup.

22.11-30.11, 2021

25.11. Croatia - Slovenia
28.11. Finland - Croatia

21.2-1.3, 2022

25.2. Croatia - Sweden
28.2. Sweden - Croatia

27.6-5.7, 2022

30.6. Slovenia - Croatia
3.7. Croatia - Finland

22.8-30.8, 2022

7.11.-15.11.2022.

20.2.-28.2.2023.

Since the European Championship starts on September 1, 2022, the fourth qualifying cycle of the World Cup will also serve as a preparation for the European Championship.

Source: HKS

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August 28, 2021 - Croatia has learned it will be in the fourth-strongest group in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers draw. 

The Croatia national basketball team is placed in the fourth-strongest group for the 2023 World Cup qualifiers draw, which will be held on Tuesday, August 31, at the headquarters of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in Mies, Switzerland, starting at noon.

Croatian is in the same group as Montenegro, Latvia, and Ukraine and cannot play these teams in the first round of qualifications. The 2023 World Cup will be hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from August 25 to September 10, 2023.

Spain, France, Slovenia, and Serbia are in the first strong group of the European part of the qualifications, in which 32 national teams will fight for 12 places leading to the World Cup. The national teams are distributed according to the position on the current FIBA ​​rankings.

The second group includes Italy, Lithuania, Greece, and Germany, and the third includes the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, and Turkey. In the fifth is Finland, Georgia, Belgium, and Hungary, in the sixth is Great Britain, Israel, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, and the Netherlands, in the seventh is Iceland, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Belarus, and in the eighth is Northern Macedonia, Sweden, Portugal, and Slovakia.

Eight groups with four national teams will be drawn, from which the first three will continue the competition in the second round, transferring all the results from the first part. In the second part of the qualifications, by merging three national teams, four new groups of six teams will be created, of which the three best will qualify for the World Cup.

The same qualification method was applied for the 2019 World Cup in China, the first in which 32 national teams competed and Croatia failed to qualify.

In six qualifying cycles, each national team will play 12 matches, six at home and away.

The first qualifying cycle in which each national team will play two matches is from November 22 to 30 this year. Then, two more matches will be played from February 21 to March 1, 2022, and the first round of qualifications will end from June 27 to July 5 next year.

The second part of the qualifiers will start with two games from August 22 to 30, 2022, continue with the second cycle from November 7 to 15, and end in 2023 with the last two games from February 20 to 28. 

Croatia played their last big competition in 2017 in the European Championship where they were defeated by Russia in the round of 16. Their next big competition will be EuroBasket 2022, hosted by the Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, and Germany. Croatia is placed in Group C, which is hosted by Milan, with the national teams of Greece, Ukraine, Great Britain, and Estonia.

Croatia has played in the World Cup three times so far. The generation led by Toni Kukoč and Dino Rađa won a bronze medal in Canada in 1994. At the 2010 World Cup in Turkey, Croatia was defeated by Serbia in the round of 16, and four years later in Spain, Croatia lost to France in the same phase of the competition.

Source: HRT 

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July 3, 2021 - Croatia nearly had the win to advance to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament final on Sunday, but Germany was better in the last 5 minutes to take the lead and ultimately the win (86:76). 

Croatia and Germany met in the semifinal of the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament at Spaladium Arena on Saturday. 

Croatia was unimpressive in their two group stage games, recording a tough defeat against Brazil (94:67) and a close victory over Tunisia (75:70).

Part of the reason for their poor performance can also be found in the stands. There were about 2,500 people at the first game, and barely 1,000 in the second. In an arena that holds 12,000, Croatia couldn't quite take advantage of playing at home. Today, however, Hajduk fan group Torcida came out to save Croatia basketball and called on all members to attend today's semifinal. 

Torcida has not organized their attendance at a Croatia basketball match for about 30 years.

Germany v. Croatia 

1st quarter

Hezonja scored Croatia's first basket for 3:2. Bogdanović made 1/2 free throws to make the score 5:3. Žižić scored both free throws awarded shortly after to even the score at 5:5. 

Ukić's floating jump shot saw Croatia down by 1 point - 8:7. A stellar Bogdanović dunk gave Croatia the lead for the first time at 8:9. With 4 minutes to go, Germany led 12:9. 

Bogdanović made it 15:12 with another 3-pointer. Bogdanović netted both free throws for 17:14 with 2 minutes to go. A 2pt driving layup by Bogdanović made it 17:16 and a foul drawn on him during the play saw him make a free throw to equal the score - 17:17.

Bogdanović put Croatia in the lead with another free throw for 17:18 and scored his second for +2. Sakić scored a 3pt jump shot for 17:22 Croatia! 

Sakić scored 1/2 free throws for 19:23 just before the final buzzer of the 1st quarter. 

2nd quarter

A Germany 3-pointer opened the 2nd quarter for 22:23, but Jordano quickly put Croatia back in a comfortable lead with a free throw for 22:26. 

Germany retook the lead thanks to a 3-pointer at 27:26. And it was 31:26 shortly after that. 

Planinić scored for 31:28 and a Bogdanović dunk made it 37:30. A 3-pointer from the Utah Jazz player made it 39:33. Hezonja made two free throws for 41:35 with 3 minutes to go. 

Hezonja scored a 3-pointer for 41:38 - and yet another for 43:41 with 2 minutes to go! Hezonja was on fire to level the score with two free throws - 43:43. Bogdanović put Croatia back in the lead with one minute to go at 43:45, which was the final score of the 2nd quarter! 

3rd quarter

Bogdanović scored the first basket of the 3rd quarter with 7:13 to go - 43:47. A Rogić 3-pointer saw Croatia up by 5 - 45:50. 

A Žižić layup made it 48:52 and a single Bogdanović free trow 48:53 with just under 5 minutes to go. Bogdanović scored for 50:55 and nailed a 3pt jump shot after. A Sakić layup made it 52:60 with two minutes to go. 

Croatia was only up by 5 with a minute to go - 56:60. Žižić scored 1/2 free throws for 56:61. Bogdanović scored two free throws to end the quarter 56:63! 

4th quarter

Hezonja scored a 2pt pullup jump shot for 58:65. Bogdanović continued his brilliant play with another 3-pointer for a +10 Croatia lead - 58:68. 

Jordano scored a 3-pointer for 63:71 with just over 7 minutes to go in the game. Bogdanović scored a 2pt floating jump shot for 67:73 and a free throw for 67:74. 

Germany was only behind by 3 with 5 minutes to go - 72:74.  Germany was awarded two free throws which they made to even the score with 4:30 to go. 

Germany took after making two free throws for 76:74. Bogdanović was awarded two free throws in the next play which made fo 76:76 with 3 minutes to go! 

Germany made two free throws for a +4 lead with 1:33 to go - 80:76. 

The game ended 86:76 for Germany.

Germany and Brazil will meet in the final on Sunday, July 4 at 7:30 pm. Only the winner of the tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. 

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