Wheelchair basketballer wins
A Rototuna Junior High School student was part of the Waikato wheelchair basketball team which dominated at the Halberg Junior Disability Games.
Team Waikato was awarded the national junior wheelchair basketball trophy for the third year in a row.
Yashan Randhawa, 14, said winning was ‘‘pretty rewarding’’.
Randhawa was 11-years-old when he first played wheelchair basketball at the Halberg Games.
He also plays for the goldmedal-winning New Zealand Under 23 team.
Being older and more experienced made Randhawa feel like he was able to offer some leadership on court.
Held on October 6 to 8, the Halberg Games saw 146 athletes aged eight to 21 representing 12 regional teams.
Yashan’s favourite part about wheelchair basketball is that it is a fast game.
A misconception people have about the sport is that it is slower than normal basketball, but it’s the other way around, he said.
‘‘It gets the adrenaline going,’’ he said.
Yashan was born with a benign tumour in his pelvis which affected the sciatic nerve in his right leg.
Before he had a below-knee amputation earlier this year, he had no feeling in that part of his body.
Hosted by the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, the games are open for physically disabled and visually impaired young people.
The event gives athletes the opportunity to try new sports, meet other people, compete at a national level and provides a pathway for participants to pursue further sporting goals.
-Amelia Christensen-Rose is a Wintec journalism student.