ParalympicsGB select wheelchair basketball teams for Beijing
ParalympicsGB today confirmed the athletes selected as part of the men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
MEN
Name Born
Lives Place of birth
Joe Bestwick 01/02/1983
Nottingham Leicester
Andy Blake 18/04/1972 Newport Pagnell, Bucks
London
Simon Brown 07/03/1986
London London
Matt Byrne 08/10/1978
Nottingham Nottingham
Terry Bywater 28/02/1983
Redcar Middlesbrough
Peter Finbow 17/05/1975 Dewsbury, Yorkshire
Bradford
Jon Hall 13/03/1982 Chesterfield,
Derby Doncaster
Kevin Hayes 09/09/1963
Rotherham Rotherham
Abdi Jama 01/11/1982
Liverpool Somalia
Simon Munn 31/01/1968 Norton Canes,
Staffs Aylesbury
Ade Orogbemi 11/05/1978 Liverpool
Lagos, Nigeria
Jon Pollock 11/05/1977
Wigan Liverpool
WOMEN
Jill Fox 11/03/1970
Sheffield Sheffield
Helen Freeman 21/11/1989
Watford Watford
Joanne Harper 21/01/1965 Sheffield
Sheffield
Caroline Maclean 19/04/1975 Haverhill,
Suffolk Newmarket
Caroline Matthews 21/04/1973 Cardiff
Truro
Pauline McDonald 15/04/1980
Southampton Southampton
Wendy Smith 12/05/1972 Tiptree, Essex
Chelmsford
Clare Strange 18/09/1979 High Wycombe
High Wycombe
Louise Sugden 20/07/1984 Stockcross,
Berkshire Reading
Helen Turner 15/10/1977 Chobham, Surrey
London
Sally Wager 13/08/1981 Kettering, Northants
Harrow
Ann Wild 11/04/1973 Ilford,
Essex Essex
Named Reserves
Men - Ghaz Choudhry, Dan Highcock, Ian Sagar
Women - Paula Johnson, Laurie Williams
Among those selected to the women’s team is 18-year-old Helen Freeman, making her Paralympic debut as well as multi-Games athlete Ann Wild, who first competed at the Paralympics 20-years ago at the Seoul Games in 1988, when she was just 15.
The women’s squad for Beijing features a mix of first-time Paralympians, including Sheffield’s Joanne Harper and Southampton’s Pauline McDonald as well as experienced athletes, such as High Wycombe’s Clare Strange and Cardiff’s Caroline Matthews, (for a full squad list see below).
Thirty-five year-old Matthews, who combines work as a lawyer with training for basketball, said: “Being part of the Great Britain women’s wheelchair basketball team is always an honour – but being selected to represent your country at the Paralympic Games is just amazing. I am so excited to be going to my second Paralympics.
“There is a lot of hard work to be done between now and that opening ceremony and I can’t wait to get stuck in. It’s always tough to balance working full time with the need to train like a full time athlete and this year will be tougher then ever – but I am looking forward to the challenge and the rare opportunity to play against the best ballers in the world.”
Women’s team Head Coach Garry Peel said: “This is a great selection.
“With four athletes in the squad making their Games debuts in Beijing, there is a good mix of experience and fresh talent and if they put the effort in with training and play to their abilities then we should reach our aim of finishing within the top six.
“I’m comfortable and confident that we have a good team now and over the last four years they’ve really come together as a unit, rather than a group of individual players.”
Meanwhile the men’s team, is made up of four-time Paralympic athlete Simon Munn, who led the team to silver in the Paralympic World Cup last week, where the team just missed out on the gold medal, losing in a close final to USA. Also selected are Paralympians Jon Pollock, Kevin Hayes, Andy Blake, Terry Bywater and Pete Finbow, who were all part of the bronze medal winning British side in Athens four years ago.
The newcomers to the men’s team for the Paralympics include 25-year-olds Joe Bestwick and Abdi Jama and 29-year-old Ade Oregbemi (for a full list of selected athletes see list below).
Wigan athlete Jon Pollock said: “I am overjoyed with my selection to the team, making it my third Paralympics.
“The squad is a
real mixture of youth and experience and I believe this year could be a special
one for GB, a semi-final placing would be great. One nice thing to
look forward to is being in the same group as the hosts china as that game
should have a super ambience.”
Men’s team Head Coach, Murray Treseder, said: “It was a very tough selection to make because the squad of 15 were all pretty even.
“Our performances were promising at the Paralympic World Cup especially as it was the first time they’ve played together this year. We’ve got a lot of improvements to make but we’re confident that we’ll be able to make those between now and Beijing.”
ParalympicsGB Chief Executive Phil Lane, said: “ParalympicsGB is delighted to be able to confirm the selection of the wheelchair basketball teams for Beijing.
“Having just returned from the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, where many of these athletes put in top performances to win silver and bronze for GB – both teams have demonstrated they have the potential to hold their own among top teams.
“Both teams have fairly new, yet exciting, coaching and staff set-ups, ones that we believe can help deliver the best prepared British wheelchair basketball teams ever to the Games and we look forward to seeing them better their achievements in Athens four years ago, in China this summer.”
The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opens on September 6 and closes on September 17. The wheelchair basketball events at the Games take place at the University of Science and Technology Gymnasium before the finals at the National Indoor Stadium.
The competition for the wheelchair basketball gets under way on September 7 with the finals scheduled for September 16. Britain’s men face hosts China in their opening game, followed by Australia, USA, Brazil and Israel. Britain’s women meanwhile come up against Australia in their opening game before facing Brazil, USA and Germany in the rest of their pool games.
At the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, Britain finished second in the medal table with a total of 35 golds, 30 silver and 29 bronze medals. With competitive standards continually rising and the dominant Chinese team taking the home advantage ParalympicsGB recognises that the 2008 Paralympics will be one of its biggest challenges yet.
For further information about ParalympicsGB, please contact Sian Davies in the Press Office on 0207 211 5240 or 07721 892686 or by email at sian.davies@paralympics.org.uk. For news updates visit the BPA website at www.paralympics.org.uk
N.B ParalympicsGB is the trading name of the British Paralympic Association.