Gliders Retain Repechage 12 For World Championships

Basketball Australia has announced the final 12 athletes selected to represent the Gliders at the 2026 IWBF World Championships in Ottawa, Canada, from September 9 to 19. 

Retaining the group that secured Australia’s place at the World Championships through the Repechage in Madrid earlier this year was a decision Head Coach Jeremy Synot said the players had earned, with Lucinda Bueti, Laura Davoli, Hannah Dodd, Katelin Gunn, Sara Houston, Maryanne Latu, Isabel Martin, Shelley Matheson, Georgia Munro-Cook, Taishar Ovens, Ebony Stevenson, and Sarah Vinciall named.

“It’s always a really tough decision. We have a number of athletes who have missed out who were very close,” Synot said.

“But in the end, the way that 12 performed in Spain met and exceeded our expectations of what they delivered at the Repechage, so it is fitting they have earned the right to carry the flag at the World Championships.”

The road to Ottawa hasn’t been straightforward for the Gliders. After falling short of direct qualification through last year’s Asia Oceania Zone Championships, the group went back to the drawing board and responded with a near-perfect Repechage campaign to book their place back on the world stage.

“We have created an offensive system essentially designed to spread the load across the group. To be great, we all need to be able to score, and also be able to help others get to the rim,” Synot said.

“We have a really predictable structure that we all understand, which for us has been our biggest growth.

“I always thought we were a really solid defensive team, but we are now pushing the boundaries of an organised full-court defence, which paid dividends for us over at the Repechage and is something we will continue to build on.”

The Gliders’ preparations have also been boosted by the recent success of Dodd, Munro-Cook, Ovens and Stevenson, who all brought home a bronze medal from the 3×3 wheelchair basketball competition at the Commonwealth Games.

“Certainly, there’s a sense of excitement and confidence for us all,” Synot said.

“Watching those four athletes have success playing some fantastic basketball only bodes well for us as a playing group.”

Synot expects a fiercely contested group stage, with Australia set to face Brazil, China, Great Britain, Spain and hosts Canada.

“It is a tricky pool in one sense. Our pool doesn’t have USA or Netherlands in it, but it possesses every single team right at their heels trying to take the next step,” he said.

“We faced China last year at the AOZ tournament and we think we have progressed quite nicely from that week, so we are excited to see what our game against them will look like.”

The team’s final preparations will continue at camp in Melbourne later this month, with the Gliders setting their sights on a deep run. 

“In short, we will need to win a minimum of two games, and a third to secure a crossover,” Synot said.

“But we are setting high expectations, and we want to be playing at the pointy end of this tournament.

“We have a really committed, driven and highly motivated group who have done a stack of work over the past 12 months. We know if we bring our best for long enough, we will be around the mark.”