Sofia Golubeva’s debut with Russia’s U21 national team was a success as the team captured the FIBA 3x3 Nations League title and secured a berth at the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup.

UMMC-Junior forward Sofia Golubeva made a brilliant international debut, helping Russia’s women’s U21 national team claim the FIBA 3x3 Nations League title. After a training camp at the Novogorsk Training Center, the national team traveled to Tangshan, China, where the Asia 1 Conference took place from July 6–12. Russia’s opponents were the national teams of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Qatar.

The week-long competition consisted of six stops, with each team playing six games at every stop. Russia’s biggest challenge came from the hosts, China. The Russians suffered defeats to China during the tournament but bounced back with victories in their next games. Golubeva delivered consistently strong performances at every stage of the event, before taking over in the decisive game, where she scored 14 points to lead her team to victory.

The tournament reached its climax at Stop 6, which opened with what was effectively a winner-take-all showdown between Russia and China. The two teams had traded victories throughout the competition, with neither side managing to win consecutive matchups. This time, however, the Russians broke the pattern. After defeating China 20-14 the previous day, they once again came out on top against their main rivals to clinch first place in the conference.

At the conclusion of the FIBA 3x3 Nations League, Russia’s women’s U21 national team topped the conference standings with 550 points, finishing ahead of China (490), Mongolia (440), Kazakhstan (360), and Qatar (320). Together with the Russia’s men’s U21 national team, the women earned a place at the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup, which will be held in China this September. Their participation in the tournament, however, remains subject to FIBA’s final decision.