Australian wheelchair rugby player
Ben Fawcett
![]() 2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait |
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Full name | Benjamin John Fawcett |
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Nationality | Australia |
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Born | (1990-12-31) 31 December 1990 (age 33) |
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Disability class | 0.5 |
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Club | Victoria Protect Lightning |
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Benjamin John Fawcett OAM (born 31 December 1990) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player and member of the national wheelchair rugby team. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics as a member of the Australian Steelers and also went to the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[1][2]
Personal
Fawcett was born on December 31, 1990.[3] At the age of 18, a snowboard accident in New Zealand led to him becoming a quadriplegic.[3] He lives in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.[4]
Wheelchair rugby
Whilst undertaking rehabilitation in Australia, he was introduced to wheelchair rugby.[3] He was named Australian Rookie of the Year in 2012 and made his international debut for Australian Steelers in 2013 at the tri-series between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.[5]
He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[6] He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017.[7]
At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[8]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo.[9]
Fawcett won his first world championship gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark, when Australia defeated the United States . [10]
References
External links