USA win men's title at Wheelchair Basketball Worlds, Netherlands defend women’s title

Team USA produced an incredible game of tactics and defence to beat Great Britain by just one point in the men’s final at the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships Dubai 2022 on 20 June 2023.

With the 67-66 win at World Trade Centre Halls in Dubai, the United States claimed their seventh world title - the most by any team at a Wheelchair Basketball World Championships. 

The Netherlands defended their title in the women's tournament with a 57-34 victory over China. The Islamic Republic of Iran picked up the bronze medal in the men’s tournament, while Team USA celebrated after winning their first medal in the women’s competition in more than a decade.

Around 350 players from 20 nations, representing 28 teams (16 men, 12 women) took part in the 12-day World Championships at the World Trade Centre Halls in the United Arab Emirates.

Team USA capture seventh title

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champions USA met Great Britain in the final for the second straight tournament. The United States lost at the previous World Championships in 2018.

Down 32-43 at half-time, Team USA made some adjustments and returned to the match with some renewed energy and strong defence. In the third quarter, they led by one point only to maintain that lead. Meanwhile, they pressed on Great Britain’s offence and hardly allowed them to score.

Brian Bell was the United States’ top scorer with 18 points, while Trévon Jenifer and Steve Serio contributed with 16 points. Great Britain’s Gregg Warburton was the top scorer in the match with 24 points, but it still was not enough to take his team to the top of the podium.

USA player Steve Serio said, “Great Britain were the defending champions, and we knew it was coming down to the last minute. We are just so fortunate to come out with a victory and we are so proud of our team.

“The best part of our team is our resilience. The ability to play our best when the game gets the hardest. We were down at half-time; we made some adjustments and putting us in a position to be successful. And the athletes responded well,” he added.

USA head coach Robert Taylor said, “We just tried to keep pace with Great Britain, and stuck to the game plan. We trust each other. Even if we were down, we believed in each other, in our style and system and we believed that we could come back at any point.”

“I’m just speechless,” he said, adding that the team’s next focus is on the Parapan American Games that take place in November 2023 in Santiago, Chile.

Invincible Dutch women 

Before the men’s final, Dutch women continued their invincible run and defended their title in style. The Paralympic champions defeated China 57-34, in a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games finals, stamping their dominance in women’s wheelchair basketball. 

The Dutch women were off to a strong start, leading 31-17 at half time. 

Mariska Beijer, who scored 22 points for the Netherlands, said, “I am very happy. First, I was excited to make it to six finals in a row –Worlds, European Championships and Paralympics and then win the six titles in a row. This is unbelievable. We want to continue this winning momentum.

“We had great preparation. We had a clear game plan and executed it; we made the basketball drop in the basket and we won.

“For me, personally it was quite hard to be here and to be fit as I was sick last year. It took me around 11 months to be back in action, first quarantine and then rehabilitation. So, this is a special win,” Beijer said. 

For China, Suiling Lin had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) but the team did not manage to come from behind. Despite the loss, China took home their first medal at a World Championships and won a lot of hearts among the crowd.

USA end 13-year wait in women’s tournament

USA captured the bronze in the women’s tournament by defeating Germany 57-42, thanks to Rose Marie Hollermann’s double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds).

Christina Schwab, who coaches the US team, said the players have waited for 13 years to capture a medal at the World Championships.  

“We are ecstatic about this team. We are very happy; (we’ve) almost forgotten that this medal has come after a long time,” she said. “The girls really executed the plans so well. I am so proud of them. 

Historic bronze for Iran

Earlier, the Islamic Republic of Iran pulled off a 72-54 win over the Netherlands in the men’s bronze medal match to capture their first World Championship medal.
Iran were led by Morteza Abedi's double-double (19 points, 18 rebounds) while their star player Omid Hadiazhar contributed with 11 points. 

Dutch player Mendel Op den Orth scored 24 points, while his teammate Robin Poggenwisch also stole the show with three 3-pointers. 

Iran head coach Mohammadreza Dastyar said: “We analysed Netherlands’ game and planned accordingly. 

“The night before the match, I told my boys that we need to control the game, play with mind and not with heart. It was a good win and overall great Championships with my young players including 18-year-old Abolfazl Jalaei getting great learning experiences.”