Sport
Sports Star set for Beijing
08Jul08
WHEN Shane Brand emerged from hospital in a wheelchair 14 months after a car crash made him quadriplegic in 2003, the former karate black belt searched for a new sporting passion.
He found murderball.
Murderball, now known by the more sponsorship-friendly name of wheelchair rugby, is a physical sport in which players in wheelchairs try to prevent other players in wheelchairs from rolling over a goal line with a ball.
"Basically we just slam into each other," explains Brand. "My chair has a mini-bull bar on the front, and I try to trap another player's chair so they can't move."
Brand has full use of his arms, but not his hands, and though that makes handling the ball more difficult, years of practice combined with special gripping gloves has enabled the 34-year-old to become one of Australia's best players.
He credits his days as a martial arts fighter to his success.
"(The crash) was tragic to a degree," he says. "But because I'd done martial arts, and I had to be strong of mind, I found that helped me to get over it and adapt."
This year Brand will go to Beijing to represent Australia at the Paralympics, where they'll be looking for their first gold medal in the event.
The team standing in their way is, as always, the US, ranked No. 1 in the world. Australia is ranked No. 2.
"We rate our chances pretty highly. We've got a few of the players who are going to be retiring after this one, and we just want to send them off with a gold medal."
* Shane Brand is a Leader Sports Star of the Year nominee.
