 Team Canada – Puisand Lai | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | July 29, 2000 Honolulu County, Hawaii |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wheelchair basketball |
| Disability class | 1.0 |
| Event(s) | Women's team |
Puisand Lai (born July 29, 2000) is a Canadian wheelchair tennis and 1.0 point wheelchair basketball player. In 2018, she was part of the Canadian national women's wheelchair basketball team at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Hamburg.
Puisand Lai was born in Honolulu County, Hawaii, on July 29, 2000. [1] When she was six years old, she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition in which the spinal cord is inflamed. [2]
In October 2013, Lai joined the Mississauga Little Aces program, a project supported by Tennis Canada and run by Albert Fong of Mississagua Little Aces, which teaches tennis to children from ages six to sixteen, and children with disabilities from ages eight to nineteen. Lai was soon able to play with non-disabled children. [2]
In July 2014, she represented Tennis Canada in the International Tennis Federation Americas Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp, [2] one of only three such camps worldwide. [3] By 2017, she was ranked 7th in the ITF rankings for girls' wheelchair tennis, and 73rd in the women's. [4] She was a member of Canada's 2017 World Team Cup junior team, [5] competing in Sardinia, Italy after the team earned a wild card spot from the International Tennis Federation. [6] [7]
Lai also participated in sledge hockey, sailing and wheelchair basketball, [2] where she was classified as a 1.0 point player, and began playing competitively in 2014. She was noticed by Kathy Ludwig, the Ontario coach, who asked her to join Team Ontario. In 2018, she was part of the Canadian national women's wheelchair basketball team at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Hamburg. [1]
As of 2018 [update] , she is studying engineering at McMaster University. [1]
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016, there are 211 national and six regional associations that make up the ITF's membership.
Esther Mary Vergeer is a Dutch former professional wheelchair tennis player. Vergeer won 48 major titles, 23 year-end championships, and seven Paralympic gold medals. She was the world No. 1 in women's wheelchair singles from 1999 to her retirement in February 2013. Vergeer went undefeated in singles for ten straight years, ending her career on a winning streak of 470 matches. She has often been named the most dominant player in professional sports.
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