USA Wheelchair Rugby Team brings silver medal to The Magic City

Birmingham had some hometown heroes at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Comin’ in hot with a silver medal, the USA Wheelchair Rugby team made their Birmingham fans proud. Did you know that this internationally-recognized team calls the Lakeshore Foundation home? Read on for the scoop.

Bringing home the hardware

The USA Wheelchair Rugby Team dusted off their red, white and blue gear after almost 17 months of no competition. They got back on their game on August 24th, at the start of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The team was ready to fight, and they sure did put up a good one! They won four games in a row, knockin’ each country out until the finals.

After their win against Australia in the semi-finals, it was time for a rematch with Great Britain for the gold. Team USA fought hard, and it came down to the last couple of minutes of the game. They lost by a mere five points and brought home the silver medal.

According to Team USA, it wasn’t the outcome they hoped for, but they are ready to rumble at the Paris 2024 Paralympics next.

Damian Veazey, Associate Director of Communications at the Lakeshore Foundation, got us the team’s past hardware deets.

Check out their Paralympic medal count:

• Gold: 2 (2000, 2008)
• Silver: 2 (2016, 2020)
• Bronze: 2 (2004, 2012)

Team USA—we sure are proud of ya!

Lakeshore Foundation—home of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team

The Lakeshore Foundation, located in the heart of Homewood, has been the USA Wheelchair Rugby team’s home for a while now. The team is made up of 12 players, 4 alternates, and a handful of dedicated coaching + staff members. Although the team members are from all around the country, Lakeshore is home base for them.

I don’t know about you, but this has got me hype for The World Games, happening right here in Birmingham.

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