Before becoming a quadriplegic as a passenger in a car accident at 16, four-time Paralympian and long-time captain of the Australian wheelchair rugby team, the Steelers, Ryan Scott was an avid surfer and enjoyed playing football, soccer and basketball.

While the force of the crash pinned Ryan’s head to his stomach, causing irreparable damage to his spinal cord, it did not take him long to rediscover his passion for sport through wheelchair rugby, representing Australia for the first time just three years later at the 2001 IWRF Oceania Zone Championship in Christchurch, New Zealand. Ryan would go on to captain the most successful wheelchair rugby team in history.

After placing fifth on debut at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, Ryan put in an immense amount of work over the next four years to ensure the Steelers reached the Paralympic podium at Beijing 2008. Following an unbeaten run to the final, …

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Date of birth
3 March 1982
Sport
Wheelchair rugby
Past Paralympic Games

Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016

Impairment
Physical Impairment – Quadriplegia
How acquired
Car accident
Residence
Zillmere, QLD
Occupation
Athlete
Started competing
1999
First competed for Australia
2001
Sport career highlights

Winning gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and 2014 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in Odense, Denmark

Greatest sporting moments

Liverpool winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League

Heroes/role models

His friend, Peter Hall, Jamie Carragher, Kostya Tszyu

Disciplines

  • Sport: Wheelchair rugby Classification: 0.5

Social Media

  • instagram