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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b "Gregg Warburton". Paralympics. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "GREGG WARBURTON". Sunrise Medical. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Westleigh's Gregg Warburton and GB team-mates fly the flag at Games ceremony". Leigh Journal. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Gregg Warburton to star in school games finals". Leigh Journal. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b "GREGG WARBURTON #12". Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Awards for Leigh wheelchair basketballer". Leigh Journal. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Gregg Warburton shortlisted for award". Leigh Journal. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ALL-STAR TEAMS". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "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.