Leonie Fiebich played Germany's World Cup run with a broken foot

Germany's best women's basketball World Cup ever was powered by a player who was hurting the whole time. Leonie Fiebich has now revealed she played the entire home tournament with a stress fracture in her midfoot.

What happened?

"I had a stress fracture in my midfoot," Fiebich said on the MagentaSport podcast "#BasketballDeutschland". It was known before the World Cup that she had problems with her left foot. But she never shared a precise diagnosis until now.

She declared herself fit for the tournament in Berlin. Still, she says she did not play pain-free. "That's pretty annoying when you're running, walking and defending," she said. She had done a lot of rehab beforehand, and she believes it paid off: "You can cope with a bit of pain."

The New York Liberty (WNBA) pro averaged 30.3 minutes and 9.9 points per game. She was also named to the tournament's All-Star team.

Why is everyone talking about it?

Because Germany did something it had never done before. The team finished fourth, its best World Cup result ever.

It did not start that way. Germany, one of the medal candidates, lost the opener to Spain 53-83 on 4 September. Fiebich says she had never felt so much pressure with the national team. The DBB team (the German basketball federation's side) is usually the underdog, but this time it was expected to win.

"You first have to deal with the pressure after losing the first game," she said. Germany then went on a run all the way to the semifinals. The bronze game against Spain on 13 September ended in another defeat, and the players looked crushed. "For me the pain is a bit bigger," Fiebich said. She now wants to see the missed medal as motivation to get better personally.

What's next?

The team does not get much time to rest. On Wednesday evening (7 pm) Germany plays Hungary in qualifying for the European Championship.

Hungary, which finished eighth at the World Cup, is seen as the toughest opponent in the group. Portugal and Denmark are also in it. The top two teams qualify for the tournament in Belgium, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden in June 2027.

Fiebich says qualifying windows are by far the hardest part of being an international. "We never have a full squad, so something is always changing," she said. "We get two training sessions and then have to win a game."