Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye hopes Team GB’s men’s 3x3 basketball bronze at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival will help encourage others to take up the sport.
Lautier-Ogunleye joined Gregor Gray, Josh Steel and Malcolm Winning on the men’s team that beat China 19-15 to take bronze in Sydney.
The British team won their first three games of the Festival before record-breaking temperatures and a rainstorm 24 hours later brought a halt to play.
They won one and lost two when play resumed a day later but still made the semi-finals, recovering from defeat to Australian Green to beat China.
And Lautier-Ogunleye would like his and Team GB’s performance Down Under to be used to inspire others to take up basketball.
“I am delighted to have been able to help Great Britain win bronze, it is a fantastic feeling,” said the 18-year-old.
“To lose like we did against Australia was tough to take but to come back the way we did against China and leave with a medal was brilliant.
“The target heading into the competition was to win a medal and, although we knew it would be tough, we were determined and it paid off in the end.
“Hopefully we have gone some way to raising the profile of Great Britain in the sport of basketball because we wanted to show that we do have talent.
“By winning medals more people will be encouraged to take up the sport and that is how we will get better so I am really pleased with how the competition went.”
© Sportsbeat 2013