Harnessing Talent Athlete

Paula Johnson - Olympian – Wheelchair Basketball

Biography:
Paula was diagnosed with Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, at the age of 17. She began playing wheelchair basketball with the Furness Falcons, before progressing to international level. Paula has been playing wheelchair basketball for the Furness Falcons Wheelchair Basketball Team for the last 10 years and has trained and represented Great Britain at wheelchair basketball since 2004. She represented Great Britain in the Two European Cups and  Paralympic World Cups in 2005 and 2007

Following an early setback, she was finally selected to represent the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team at the Paralympics in Beijing, after a member of the original line-up for Beijing was forced to drop out of the Paralympics, and was instrumental in the team’s 61-29 victory over Brazil. In 2008, Paula was named Barrow Borough Sports Council Sports Person of the Year and won the Cumbria Performance Award for People with a Disability.

Recently she has been involved in weekly training for two national squads playing competitively in Wolverhampton Rhinos Women’s Team and Furness Falcons, and training internationally in Sheffield and Aylesbury. Paula is now focusing on winning a place at the London Olympics in 2012.


Click here to see Paula's Competitive History

Click here to see how Paula and DKH Legacy Trust are working together, and to find out about her 'giving back to sport' activities