A strong competitor and motivator, Grant Mizens was an essential element to the Rollers’ continuing success. When a car accident in 1994 left the then 16-year-old Grant a paraplegic, he used the support of family and friends to move past his accident and start a new direction in life.

Only two years after his accident, Grant began competing in wheelchair basketball. In 1999, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Illinois in the USA where he spent the next five years studying economics and representing the university in wheelchair basketball. He first represented his country at the 2001 Gold Cup Qualifiers in Japan.

Since then, he continued to play for the team he loves. Already having tasted success in Athens with a silver medal, Grant and the team pushed themselves further to win gold at the Beijing Games. Singing the national anthem with a gold medal around his neck was the greatest sporting moment of Grant’s life and one he will carry with him forever.

Post-Beijing, he was part of the Rollers side that swept all before them, winning gold at the 2010 World Championships, 2009 and 2011 Asia-Oceania Championships and the 2009 Paralympic World Cup, however their gold medal luck did not continue through to London with the team losing to Canada in the gold medal final.

Grant is a seasoned professional in the business world, making his Paralympic achievements all the more remarkable. He has worked as a senior investment analyst at MLC since 2006, specifically dealing with Australian equity portfolios. Grant is also a family man and has retired from international wheelchair basketball to enjoy spending time with his young son.