Paris 2024: Warburton’s wish for elusive Paralympic gold
Wheelchair basketball star determined to inspire Great Britain to Paralympic title at third time of asking 22 Aug 2024
Great Britain are arguably the ‘nearly men’ of wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics. They have claimed the bronze medal in four of the last five Summer Games, including the last two editions, but never the top prize.
“The younger me would be really disappointed I haven’t got the gold medal I’ve been wishing for so far,” admits Gregg Warburton, who was part of the squads at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“I hope Paris is the Games to change that.”
Warburton made his Paralympic debut as a teenager in Rio. But as well as experiencing the near misses – Great Britain lost by a single point to the USA in the 2022 World Championship final – Warburton knows what it takes to be a winner.
He was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) when Great Britain claimed their second world wheelchair basketball title – and first since the inaugural tournament in 1973 – in Hamburg, Germany in 2018. He followed that with a place in the European All-Star team in 2023 when GB claimed their eighth continental title.
It is the disappointments that linger the longest, though. “I’m really proud to be competing in my third Paralympic Games, but I hold myself to high standards,” he said. “Since I was young, I had a dream to win multiple gold medals at the Paralympics – at least two.”
“I love how free wheelchair basketball makes me”
Warburton is, as he explains. “a two-pointer”. In wheelchair basketball, each player given a score specific to the impact their impairment has on their ability, 1 being the highest, 4.5 the lowest.
“I’m a double amputee, then on my left arm I have an abnormality – only two fingers – and it’s shorter. I was born with feet but had to have them amputated at only a few months old, so that was quite a big decision for my parents. But it was the best decision that they could have made – it’s changed my life. My disability hasn’t held me back at all.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of sport. I went along to a multi-sport event with my school when I was 10, tried wheelchair basketball, loved the team element of it, how fast it was, how free it made me, and I’ve never looked back.”
With GB, Warburton claimed bronze at the European Under-22 Championships in 2012 and struck gold at the same event two years later. As captain, he led the team to U23 World Championship gold in 2017, but not before making his Olympic debut in Rio.
“It was crazy,” he said, “a really special Games. The crowds were great, the Village was phenomenal, the arena was so good… an unbelievable experience.
“I didn’t play too many minutes because I was still only 19, but the whole experience of being at the top level – that was my first international tournament with the seniors – was a bit of an eye-opener to say the least.”
GB again came up short in Tokyo, despite topping their group courtesy of a one-point victory against eventual champions USA. Hosts Japan shocked them in the semi-finals, but Britain were not to be denied a medal - Warburton’s eight assists helping them beat Spain in the showdown for bronze.
Can Great Britain turn bronze into gold?
Great Britain secured their place in the French capital courtesy of last year’s European triumph, and Warburton says it’s a case of “so far, so good” for his team’s preparations.
“We’ve had a busy summer with two competitions, so I feel like we’ll be prepped and ready when it comes to Paris. It will be good to have a Paralympics in Europe; hopefully I can get more family and friends over.
“It’s going to be a real spectacle, and some of the things I’ve seen online, the preparations and the way it’s going to look, it’s going to be phenomenal.”
So, what will it take for Great Britain to turn bronze into gold? “Truthfully, I can’t really answer that until I’ve become a Paralympic champion myself,” Warburton said: “But I think I know what it takes to get there and that’s the path we’re on.
“If I had to put it down to one thing, it would be the hard work when nobody else is watching. It’s super easy when the cameras are on and there are thousands of people watching.
“It’s the cold mornings in the gym. You think ‘it would be easy to skip this and have an extra hour in bed’, but you have an inner determination and toughness. Hopefully that leads us in the right direction for Paris.”
Whatever the colour of the medal – and Great Britain should be firmly in the mix for gold – Warburton will relish the experience.
“Growing up, this is everything I wanted to do,” he said. “We’re here to win, don’t get me wrong. But the process and the journey is just as important – if you don’t enjoy that bit, you won’t remember the outcome as much.
“It’s important sometimes to take a step back and enjoy the journey. I think that feeds into success and gives you more chance of standing on the top of the podium at the end.”
