South Yorkshire paralympic athlete selected as Team GB vice captain

Rotherham Paralympic athlete Gavin Walker has been selected as Team GB Vice Captain in the inaugural King Power Quad Nations Tournament.
Gavin WalkerGavin Walker
Gavin Walker

A former firefighter and father of two, Gavin was introduced to wheelchair rugby during his rehab in the Sheffield Spinal Unit following an accident when he broke his neck, slipping on some wet decking in 2010. In 2011 Gavin went along to his first training session at the Marauders club and was selected to the Development Squad in 2011/12.

In 2013 he was selected for the national squad and became a full time athlete. He competed in his first Major at the European Championships in Antwerp in 2013, returning with a bronze medal, and went on to compete in the World Championships in Denmark in 2014. In July 2015 Gavin was appointed Vice-captain, working alongside new captain Chris Ryan.

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Gavin made his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and having successfully retained the title at the European championships in 2017, Gavin continues to be Vice-captain the squad at the King Power Quad Nations held in Leicester in March 2018.

The inaugural King Power Quad Nations brings together Paralympic Gold, Silver and Bronze winning medallists from Australia, Japan, the USA and Great Britain for a sporting event filled with thrills, spills, endless energy and extreme action.

One of the only full-contact disability sports, Wheelchair Rugby (originally called Murderball) is played by two teams of four who aim to score by carrying the ball across the opposing team’s try line. Wheelchair Rugby was first recognised as a full medal sport at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia and has since been an integral part of the Paralympic and Invictus Games.

Gavin said: “It’s been a long time since Rio and the disappointment of not making the final four still hurts. It cost us dearly but this year is our chance to prove just how good we are and it all starts with playing the top three teams in the world in this tournament – bring it on!”

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Taking place from 9th – 11th March 2018 at the Leicester Arena, the King Power Quad Nations is an international tournament that will feature the world’s best players from the four top nations. As reigning European Champions Great Britain will be looking to capitalise on home court advantage as they take on the World’s very best and they need your support.

Tickets start at just £5 with special offers available for groups and families. Tickets are available from http://www.wrquadnations.com along with a full match schedule.

Keep up to date on social media @wrquadnations and facebook.com/wrquadnations