School Games Finals 2022 took place at Loughborough University campus 1-4th September, welcoming back spectators to venues to support the teams throughout their fixtures. Teams arrived on Thursday, and have been fully immersed in the multi-sport village experience from day one. Athlete have been enjoying training sessions on and off court, learning new skills in various workshops, and making new friends along the way.
The wheelchair basketball competition was played in the 3×3 format, with fifty athletes taking part across the boys and girls competitions.
In the girls competition, four teams took to the court across the three day weekend. England Purple claimed the gold medal, with England Green took silver and England Orange won bronze. Wales placed fourth.
In the boys competition, seven teams competed in the fierce 3×3 action. England Orange took home the gold after a close fought final, with England Green taking silver. In the bronze medal match, England Black claimed the bronze and England Purple finished fourth. Scotland Blue placed fifth, Wales sixth, and Scotland White seventh.
Athlete Jack Long commented on his experience representing England:
“It’s great, honestly. I’m one of the older players that have a little bit more experience, so I’m glad to be able to have my last year being able to do this as we missed out on quite a bit due to [COVID lockdowns].”
Scotland athlete Shane Humphries commented:
“Playing on the Commonwealths floor was a complete surprise! I knew the floor was different, but I didn’t realise it was the Commonwealth Games floor until I got to the venue.”
As part of the School Games experience, athletes and team staff voted across the weekend for an athlete they thought embodied the values of the School Games. The award was presented to Imogen Longworth, nominated for going above and beyond for her team and for demonstrating determination!
A huge thank you to all athletes, team staff, officials and volunteers who made this School Games Finals special.
Full results can be found here: https://www.schoolgamesfinals.org/sports-results/wheelchair-basketball/
Catch up on the games on the official Youth Sport Trust YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/YouthSportTrust
