Paris, France. After decisive margins of victory on day one of the 2016 IWRF Paralympic Qualifier, USA Wheelchair Rugby took the court again today in Paris and notched out two more big wins over Finland and France 60-32 and 63-41 respectively. Chuck Aoki (Minneapolis, MN) is the top scorer for the U.S. putting up an average of 15 in the first four games.
“I think the team played well as a unit,” said Coach Gumbert about today’s wins. “Every athlete played and saw significant time. One of the keys to our success is that we aren’t one person, we are team and all contribute. I was really pleased with our key defense, the work we have put in shows.”
These first two days also marked three big wins for the U.S. over top 10 IWRF teams, New Zealand (10), Germany (9) and France (8). The U.S. will look to round out the initial round of competition tomorrow with Denmark who comes into Paris ranked number 7 in the world. Thursday the 21st will be the final day of competition from Paris with semi final and finals berths on the line.
The top two finishers in Paris will take the final two spots in Rio at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Catch all the action from Paris on the livestream at http://www.handisport.org/6672-2/. and check back to this website for scores and stats updates.
About USA Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair Rugby was invented in Canada in 1977. Originally known as “murderball” because of its intense physical nature, the sport’s name was changed to wheelchair rugby. By 1993 wheelchair rugby was officially recognized as a sport for athletes with disability and the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation was founded. In 1994 Wheelchair Rugby was recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as a Paralympic sport and made its Paralympic debut as a demonstration event in Atlanta in 1996. It became a medal sport in Sydney in 2000, where the United States won the gold medal. In 2013, USA Wheelchair Rugby partnered with USA Rugby in order to collaborate in the growth of Rugby in America.
Lakeshore Foundation, a U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site in Birmingham, Alabama, serves as the High Performance Management Organization for USA Wheelchair Rugby under contract with the United States Olympic Committee. With a unique combination of activity, research and advocacy Lakeshore is a leader in their field. Learn more about USA Wheelchair Rugby and Lakeshore Foundation at www.lakeshore.org.
USA Wheelchair Rugby is proudly supported by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Liberty Mutual Insurance is the official property and casualty and life insurance partner of the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 2016 Olympic Games and 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company also is the proud sponsor and partner of several national governing bodies, including ASA/USA Softball, U.S. Rowing, U.S. Soccer Federation, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo and USA Wrestling.
For more information contact Jen Remick at jenr@lakeshore.org or 205.999.4944