The twelve athletes who will head to Rotterdam in the Netherlands to represent Great Britain Women at the 2019 European Championship have been announced.
The squad aim to realise two ambitions in Rotterdam; achieve a podium finish and secure qualification to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The European Championship, taking place from 30th June to 7th July 2019, will welcome six competing nations, including World Champions the Netherlands and Rio Paralympic Silver Medallists, Germany.
The GB Women’s squad selection stays almost intact from the Hamburg 2018 World Championships team which secured a historic silver medal, with the exception of Leah Evan’s inclusion in the line-up.
The team are hungry to improve on their long-standing European Championship bronze medal run of six consecutive championships, and as current World Championship silver medallists the squad has never been in better shape to take on Europe. The team will be looking to repeat Hamburg’s success and will be focused on earning a spot in the coveted gold medal game.
British Wheelchair Basketball’s Performance Director, Jayne Ellis, outlined the squad’s ambitions for the forthcoming European Championship:
“We are under no illusions – Europe is an incredibly strong zone with some of the titans of women’s wheelchair basketball heading to the 2019 European Championship.
“Undeniably the competition will be fierce, but we are prepared and ready for the fight. Our GB Women’s Squad is a tight unit both on and off the court; this makes them incredibly effective communicators and they draw strength from one another when it matters most.
“Our approach to the Championships will be simple – one game at a time, laying down our best performance every time, whether it is a pool game or medal game.”
This sentiment is echoed by British Wheelchair Basketball’s Chief Executive, Lisa Pearce, who added:
“The European Championship plays out during an incredible summer of women’s team sport and promises to deliver an outstanding spectator experience for all sports fans.
“The UK fan support for women’s wheelchair basketball has been exceptional this season, with a record number of viewers tuning in to watch our domestic Women’s League live broadcast games.
“It is clear that there is an appetite for high quality women’s team sport and wheelchair basketball is no exception. We are looking forward to welcoming new fans to our journey during the 2019 Europeans and onto the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Fans will be able to keep up-to-date with our GB Women’s Progress throughout the tournament via the British Wheelchair Basketball website.”
Final Roster
Vest Number | Player Name | Classification | Age |
4 | Charlotte Moore | 1.0 | 20 |
5 | Sophie Carrigill | 1.0 | 25 |
6 | Michaela Bell | 1.5 | 22 |
7 | Helen Freeman | 4.0 | 29 |
8 | Laurie Williams | 2.5 | 27 |
9 | Judith Hamer | 4.0 | 28 |
10 | Amy Conroy | 4.0 | 26 |
11 | Madeleine Thompson | 4.0 | 24 |
12 | Leah Evans | 2.0 | 22 |
13 | Siobhan Fitzpatrick | 3.0 | 21 |
14 | Joy Haizelden | 2.5 | 20 |
15 | Robyn Love | 3.5 | 28 |
The championship will act as the zonal qualification tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and only the top four will qualify.
More information about the 2019 Women’s European Championship please visit the websites below:
http://www.competitions.iwbf-europe.org/index.php/ecwa-home-menu or http://basketballexperience.nl/ek2019/
Text courtesy of British Wheelchair Basketball and Photo credit: British Wheelchair Basketball / Will Johnston