Sophie Carrigill
Wheelchair Basketball
Bio
Bio
How I Started
I grew up able-bodied, but I was involved in an accident which completely changed my life. I was introduced to wheelchair basketball when I left the hospital. This was the first time I had ever even played Basketball, but everyone made me feel welcome and being with other disabled athletes like myself was really inspiring and helped me through a lot at the time. I began playing for the Leeds Spiders junior team and was scouted by Team GB just after the London 2012 Olympics.I’ve always been around professional sport as my dad is an ex-professional golf player, and I remember a lot of my childhood spending time playing sports, watching the Olympics on the TV and him recalling memories from his career.
My Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is being selected for my first Paralympics and competing. We managed to come 4th place which was bittersweet, but it was the best result for the team so far, but while we knew there was work to do, we were extremely happy with our efforts and all the work that was put into not only reaching the games but to also secure 4th place!Since then we achieved a silver medal at the 2018 Hamburg World Championships which has proven to be our best result and are looking forward to the 2022 World Championship which are being held in Dubai this coming November.
My Greatest Challenge
My greatest challenge has been the car accident I was involved in at the age of 16. I had to have life-saving surgery and was left with a spinal cord injury meaning I am now a full-time wheelchair user.I was in hospital for four months in total- two months in America and two months in the UK, adapting to a new way of life. I initially struggled with accepting my new identity as a disabled woman, but through a lot of resilience and positive thinking, I am now really proud of who I am and where it has led me in my life.