Gregg Warburton

Gregg Warburton (born 18 November 1996) is a British wheelchair basketball player. At the age of 19, he won a bronze medal with Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

Early life

Warburton was born in Leigh, Lancashire on 18 November 1996.[1] He had his feet amputated at around six months old and was born with an abnormality to his left arm, resulting in it being shorter and with only two fingers.[2] Despite this, he began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 10.[1] While attending The Westleigh School, Warburton and his younger brother Lucas played together with the Manchester Mavericks basketball team.[3] Later, he was selected to represent England North at the 2012 Sainsbury School Games, a multi-sport event for school-aged elite athletes.[4] In the same year, he also played with Great Britain's U22 team as they won a bronze medal game at the U22 European Championships.[5]

Career

Following high school, Warburton enrolled at Wigan and Leigh College to study sports while also competing internationally. He competed with Great Britain at the 2014 Under-22 Wheelchair Basketball European Championships, helping them win a gold medal and individually being named the Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year.[6] In the same year, he also played a role in Great Britain's Junior Men's performance at the Kitakyushu Cup, helping them earn a silver medal.[5] Following this, Warburton made his Paralympics debut in 2016 where he helped Great Britain defeat Turkey in the bronze-medal match. He was subsequently shortlisted for SportsAid's One-to-Watch Award.[7]

Four years later, Warburton played a major role in Great Britain's World Championship win in Hamburg, Germany, and was named Most Valuable Player for the men's tournament.[8] He also moved to Badajoz, Spain to play for Mideba Extremadura in the FEDEDDF Division de Honour.[9]

References

  1. "Gregg Warburton". Paralympics. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  2. "GREGG WARBURTON". Sunrise Medical. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  3. "Westleigh's Gregg Warburton and GB team-mates fly the flag at Games ceremony". Leigh Journal. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. "Gregg Warburton to star in school games finals". Leigh Journal. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  5. "GREGG WARBURTON #12". Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. "Awards for Leigh wheelchair basketballer". Leigh Journal. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. "Gregg Warburton shortlisted for award". Leigh Journal. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  8. "2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ALL-STAR TEAMS". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  9. "Interview with Gregg Warburton: "I haven't really 'looked' to become a leader or anything like that."". Rollt.Magazin. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
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