ROSBRIEN’S Jodie Waite, currently a student at University of East London, will represent Team GB in Wheelchair Basketball in Paris.
She revealed at the weekend that it was a dream come true to be named in the squad, having worked towards the goal for more than a decade.
“I started playing able-bodied basketball when I was seven years old with the goal of one day playing in the Olympics. After I became paralysed, I realised that my goal was still possible once I started playing wheelchair basketball,” Waite said.
“Even though I have only been playing wheelchair basketball for four years, it took a lot more than that to get selected for the 2024 Paralympic Games.”
Waite has been named Irish Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Player of the Year three consecutive times.
The 19-year-old was often a star with Limerick Celtics.
She signed with the East London Phoenix for the 2021/22 season of the Women’s Premier League and began her academic studies at UEL last year, working towards a BSc degree in Sport, Physical Education and Development.
Wheelchair basketball events run daily throughout the Games schedule with the women’s final on September 8.
