The rugby side of the Aussie wheelchair, aiming for the third straight Paralympic gold

The Australian wheelchair rugby team is claiming its third consecutive gold medal at next week’s Tokyo Paralympics, and Captain Ryley Batt is confident despite a tough draw.

The number one Aussie, nicknamed the Steelers, will face Denmark and France in his pool matches, as well as the reigning world champion Japan.

We have an absolute mammoth job ahead of us, but we are up to the challenge, Batt said SEN mornings with Matt White.

Two weeks of hard work and dedication and sacrifices after our last five years of work is nothing. We are ready to put everything on the table.

Denmark is going to be a difficult game, but I think we will have a very good draw when they are first. They are probably the lowest ranked team in our pool. France is a bit of a dark horse in the next game, but if we play well, we should get the job done. And then an absolute war against Japan.

We have had quite a bit of competition in recent years. We have a win / loss ratio for them, but who knows how they have gone through the lock.

32-year-old Batt made his debut at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens at the age of 15. He was the youngest wheelchair rugby Paralympic ever.

Now, in addition to the Steelers captain, the double gold medalist has also been appointed captain of the Australian Paralympic team with six-time Paralympic Danni Di Toro (para table tennis).

It’s something I’m really proud of and very proud of, Batt said.

It’s hard to get words for it. I am very happy and proud that my Australian Paralympic peers see me as a leader alongside Dan.

Batt said he continues to tweak himself, that he is on his way to his fifth Paralympics.

He was born without legs and most of his fingers and spent his childhood rotating a skateboard rather than a wheelchair.

When I was a young kid, I considered myself a normal boy and did everything my friends did – motorcycling, water skiing, whatever they did, I did with them, he said.

My parents forced me to cross my boundaries and didn’t wrap me in cotton, which I was really happy as I grew up.

Struggling with his self-esteem as a teenager, Batt said he is now more confident than ever.

“Looking back, if I had my feet, I wouldn’t have experienced what I have today. I wouldn’t be able to serve as captain of the Paralympic team and the Steelers.

If you could somehow give me legs, I would by no means take them. I am more than happy in my body these days. “

Aside from the chance to win a third gold medal, the Steelers side in Tokyo is remembered for having a woman as part of the team for the first time.

Wheelchair rugby is a confusing sport, but men have mastered it because I’ve been a part of it, Batt said.

Disabled sports are categorized because everyone has a different level of disability, so what they do lowers the ranking of all female players, which makes them more useful to be on your team and try to include them.

I find it amazing. Shae Graham – the first women’s wheelchair rugby Paralympic in Australia. And he just fits so damn well.