Australia tries to defend Great Britain at the net.
© • Lieven Coudenys
Australia shows of their gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Games.
© • Getty Images
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London 2012 Events
Preliminary Round (30 August: Australia-South Africa; 31 August: Australia-Turkey; 1 September: Australia-Spain; 2 September: Australia-USA; 3 September: Australia-Italy)
Elimination Round (5 September: Quarter-finals/Classification games; 6 September: Semi-finals; 7 September: Classification games; 8 September: Medal games/Classification games)
Biography
Australia will be the nation to be beat in men’s Wheelchair Basketball competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
In Beijing 2008, the Rollers, as they are called, won the gold medal after a 72-60 victory over a strong Canadian team.
That was not the first time the Australian players occupied the highest place on the podium. The country also won gold at Atlanta 1996 as well as silver at Athens 2004.
The team finished as world champions in 2010, beating France in the final, 79-69, and officially qualified for London after winning the 2011 Asia-Oceania Championships with a 69-48 win over Japan in the finals.
The team that will be defending the Paralympic title in London counts on talented players such as Shaun Norris, Justin Everson and veteran Brad Ness. On the way to his fourth Paralympic Games, the Rollers’ powerhouse attributes the recent achievements to the team’s constant desire in pushing the level even further.
“The guys are doing a lot more work off court because they realize what used to be enough, isn’t anywhere near enough now," Ness said.
“The challenge for us now is to see if we can raise the bar higher because we know in London the standard is going to be extremely high."
However, Ness is confident about what he and his teammates can reach in London.
“In all the campaigns I have been involved in, this is the best preparation we have ever had and I think we are capable of something special in London," Ness said.
