U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team Triumphs at World Championship

The U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team is set to enter the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028 as the reigning world champion. The team secured its first world championship title since 2010 by defeating host Canada 77-76 in the final held in Ottawa.

The match was tightly contested. Courtney Ryan played a pivotal role by hitting the second of two free throws with 20.8 seconds remaining to break a tie. Canada’s attempt to reclaim the lead fell short when they missed their shot and fouled Ixhelt Gonzalez with 5.1 seconds left. Despite Gonzalez missing both free throws, Canada failed to produce a shot during their last possession.

Lindsey Zurbrugg led the American team with a stellar 26 points. Rose Hollermann, along with Courtney Ryan, contributed 17 points each. Ryan narrowly missed a triple-double, recording nine assists and eight rebounds.

The U.S. women’s team last won Paralympic gold at the 2016 Rio Games. They achieved bronze in Tokyo and silver in Paris. The team’s championship roster was composed of 11 out of 12 players with Paralympic expertise in wheelchair basketball, including Hollermann and Becca Murray from the 2016 gold-winning squad. New to the team is 18-year-old Arelle Middleton, who brings experience from Paralympic track and field events, having earned a silver medal in the F64 shot put at the 2024 Games.

The Netherlands, holders of the previous two world and Paralympic titles, were ousted by Canada in the semifinals on Thursday.

On the men’s front, Australia will face Italy in the final on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET, with live coverage on Peacock. The U.S. men’s team, which had previously dominated with wins in the last three Paralympic titles, experienced a setback when Germany upset them in the quarterfinals.

The U.S. men’s team has a rich history, having won a medal at every World Championship since 1975. Meanwhile, the U.S. wheelchair rugby team approaches the Los Angeles Paralympics as the world champion, aiming for their first Paralympic title since 2008.

Contributions by Nick Zaccardi.