Two years after he lost a limb in a machine accident in 1993, Justin Eveson used sport as the vehicle to overcome adversity. In 1995, he began competing in wheelchair basketball but instead decided to focus on a swimming career.

At Sydney 2000, Justin made his first Paralympic team in swimming. In front of his home crowd he brought home silver and bronze medals as part of the 4x100m medley and 4x100m freestyle relay teams.  

At the Athens 2004 Paralympics, he switched sports and focused on wheelchair basketball. Justin and the Australian men’s basketball team went on to win the silver medal. The real high came at the Beijing Games where Justin won the medal that had eluded him throughout his sporting career. The team won gold with a 72-60 victory over Canada. Justin’s favourite part of the tournament was climbing onto the ring and cutting down the net in victory.

Post Beijing, Justin suffered a bone spur which had to be removed from his elbow in 2009. But it did not stop him claiming the 2009 Asia-Oceania Championships with the Rollers before romping to victory at the 2010 World Championships and the 2011 Asia-Oceania Championships. At his fourth Paralympic Games and with a stellar preparation, Justin looked on track to win the second gold of his career, when the team lost to Canada in the gold medal final. Justin was the highest point scorer of the Rollers, notching up 68 points throughout the Games.

As well as playing basketball, Justin indulges in his passion of sport by working in sports management. In his spare time he enjoys music, swimming and helping develop wheelchair basketball in his home town of Perth.

Justin is a very family orientated person and credits his parents with motivating him after the accident in 1993. With a young son taking up much of his time these days, Justin has recently returned to university and is looking forward to winding down in Perth after a long professional career overseas.