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"I still love the game. I love competing. I
know we always talk about winning and losing, but I like the
journey of it, the preparation, the struggle. I think sometimes
you get distracted by the wins, but it's the things that happen
before the wins that I've really enjoyed," Taurasi said on
Thursday.
"You have to enjoy the moment while you're here. Tomorrow we
have the opening ceremony, for some of us it's the first time
and some of us have done it a lot, but you have to enjoy it. And
then, when it's time to play, that will be the most serious
thing," she added.
Taurasi, who could become the most decorated team athlete in the
history of the Games if the U.S. women bring home a medal, knows
the competition will be tough at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in
Lille.
"It's always difficult, France is tough, Spain has players who
are dynamic, Australia is always strong and organised, China has
young talent who play different, as does Japan, not to mention
Belgium, who will certainly fill this place."
But she knows teamwork will be the key to success when the U.S.
take on Japan in their opening match on Monday.
"You have to go out there and be the most unselfish you've ever
been in your career and that takes effort from everyone, we have
to build that chemistry pretty quickly," Taurasi said.
The Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA's all-time leading scorer
added she is still not thinking about retirement, as she joked
about participating in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles: "I'll be
there, having a beer on the beach."
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Lille, France; Editing by Jamie
Freed) [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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