Biography
Catharina Weiss was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on 2 June 2000. [1] She attended the Käthe Kollwitz School in Esslingen-Zell, from which she graduated in 2019. [2] Her spinal cord was damaged by a tumor when she was two months old. She was active in sports, including swimming, monoski and wheelchair basketball, which she first took up at the age of nine. [3] She is classified as a 1.0 point player. [1]
The club RSKV Tübingen held a monthly training session for young people, which Weiss joined. She began attending weekly training sessions, and then played in state and regional competitions, eventually playing for the Rolling Chocolate in Heidelberg in the 2015/2016 season. [3] Two years later she moved to the Ulm Sabres, on the grounds that Ulm was slightly closer than Heidelberg. [3] In 2018, she was part of the national team at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Hamburg, where the German side defeated China to win bronze. [3] [1]
In 2019, Weiss was awarded a sports scholarship to the University of Alabama, which has a distinguished wheelchair basketball team, and began studying marketing and business there. [2] She joined the club RSV Lahn-Dill in 2020, and was part of its side that won the 2021 champions' league and the 2022 national championship In March 2024, she announced that she was leaving RSV Lahn-Dill at the end of the 2023/2024 season. [4]
Weiss was named as one of the All-Star Five at the 2019 Women's U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, [5] and went on to play with the national team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, the 2021 IWBF Women's European Championship in Madrid, the 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Dubai, the 2023 IWBF Women's European Championship in Rotterdam and the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. [1]
The RSV Lahn-Dill is an association for wheelchair basketball in Wetzlar. The Association was founded in 1983.
Steven Dillon Serio is a wheelchair basketball player. As a co-captain of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, he led the American men to their first Paralympic gold medal since 1988 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games and defended the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He currently plays for the New York Rolling Knicks in the NWBA Championship Division.
Gesche Schünemann is a German former wheelchair basketball player and Paralympian who was part of the team that took the silver medal in the women's wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, and the gold medal-winning team in wheelchair basketball at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.
Michael Auprince, is an Australian swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. He set several swimming records and was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in swimming, where he won gold and bronze medals. He represented the Rollers team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Michael is currently on the coaching staff of the University of Alabama Wheelchair Basketball team.
Annabel Breuer is a wheelchair fencer and 1.5 point wheelchair basketball player. She has played for SKV Ravensburg and Sabres Ulm in the German wheelchair basketball league. In December 2012 she was contracted to play for first division club RSV Lahn-Dill as well as Sabres Ulm. She has also played the national team, with which she won two European titles, was runner-up at 2010 World Championships, and won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. After the London Games, President Joachim Gauck awarded the team Germany's highest sporting honour, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.
Britt Dillmann is a 1.0-point wheelchair basketball forward, who plays for RSV Lahn-Dill in the German wheelchair basketball league. She has also played for the national team, winning a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul. She retired soon afterwards, but staged a comeback in 2011, rejoining the national team, which went on to win the European championships, and then a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. President Joachim Gauck awarded the team Germany's highest sporting honour, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.
Annika Zeyen-Giles is a former 1.5-point wheelchair basketball player, who has played for ASV Bonn, RSV Lahn-Dill and BG Baskets Hamburg in the German wheelchair basketball league, and for the University of Alabama in the United States. She has represented her country a total of 382 times in which she won six European titles, was the runner-up at 2010 and 2014 World Championships, won silver medals at the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing and 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, and won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, for which President Joachim Gauck awarded the team Germany's highest sporting honour, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt . Following the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Zeyen retired from wheelchair basketball to pursue alternative sporting challenges as an individual athlete.
Rebecca Marie Murray is an American wheelchair basketball player and member of the United States women's national wheelchair basketball team. She is a three-time Parapan American Games gold medalist in 2007, 2011 and 2023. In 2010, she won two more gold medals at IWBF World Championship and at U25 World Championship in 2011.
Spain men's national wheelchair basketball team has represented Spain at the IWBF European Championships, IWBF World Championships and at the Paralympic Games. The team won a bronze at the 2013 European Championships. They finished fifth at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, and sixth at the 1992 Summer Paralympics. Spain also has a men's national under-22 team and under-23 team. The under-23 team finished second at the 2009 Paris European Championships.
Joy Haizelden is a 2.5 point British wheelchair basketball player who was the youngest player to represent Great Britain at the 2014 Women's World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Toronto. She also went to Paris to compete at the 2024 Paralympics.
Wheelchair basketball at the 2020 Summer Paralympics was held at two venues: Musashino Forest Sport Plaza for group stage rounds and Ariake Arena for group stage and finals.
Barbara Gross is a 4.5 point wheelchair basketball player, who played for the German national team at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, winning silver. President Joachim Gauck awarded the team Germany's highest sporting honour, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt.
Germany competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August to 5 September 2021. This was their sixteenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Paralympics since 1960.
Spain competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan from 24 August to 5 September 2021. This was Spain's fourteenth appearance at the Paralympic Games. During the Games, Spanish athletes settled 4 World records and 1 Paralympic record.
Wheelchair basketball at the 2023 European Para Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands was held between 11 and 19 August 2023. It featured two events: men's team and women's team.
Mariska Beijer is a Dutch wheelchair basketball player.
The 2023 IWBF Women's European Championship was the 19th edition of the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship. It took place from 11 to 18 August 2023 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The 2023 IWBF Men's European Championship was the 26th edition of the European Wheelchair Basketball Championship. It took place from 11 to 19 August 2023 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The 2024 IWBF Women’s Repechage was held at the Asue Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan, between 17 and 20 April 2024. Germany, Japan, Spain and Canada qualified for a place at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.
Hiroaki Kozai is a Japanese wheelchair basketball player who plays for the Japan men's national wheelchair basketball team.
Germany 
