Gregg Warburton Explained

Gregg Warburton
Country:Great Britain
Sport:Wheelchair basketball
Show-Medals:yes

Gregg Warburton (born 18 November 1996) is a British wheelchair basketball player. At the age of 19, he won a bronze medal with Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

Early life

Warburton was born in Leigh, Lancashire on 18 November 1996.[1] He had his feet amputated at around six months old and was born with an abnormality to his left arm, resulting in it being shorter and with only two fingers.[2] Despite this, he began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 10.[1] While attending The Westleigh School, Warburton and his younger brother Lucas played together with the Manchester Mavericks basketball team.[3] Later, he was selected to represent England North at the 2012 Sainsbury School Games, a multi-sport event for school-aged elite athletes.[4] In the same year, he also played with Great Britain's U22 team as they won a bronze medal game at the U22 European Championships.[5]

Career

Following high school, Warburton enrolled at Wigan and Leigh College to study sports while also competing internationally. He competed with Great Britain at the 2014 Under-22 Wheelchair Basketball European Championships, helping them win a gold medal and individually being named the Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year.[6] In the same year, he also played a role in Great Britain's Junior Men's performance at the Kitakyushu Cup, helping them earn a silver medal.[5] Following this, Warburton made his Paralympics debut in 2016 where he helped Great Britain defeat Turkey in the bronze-medal match. He was subsequently shortlisted for SportsAid's One-to-Watch Award.[7]

Four years later, Warburton played a major role in Great Britain's World Championship win in Hamburg, Germany, and was named Most Valuable Player for the men's tournament.[8] He also moved to Badajoz, Spain to play for Mideba Extremadura in the FEDEDDF Division de Honour.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gregg Warburton . Paralympics . 18 June 2021.
  2. Web site: GREGG WARBURTON . Sunrise Medical . 18 June 2021.
  3. News: Westleigh's Gregg Warburton and GB team-mates fly the flag at Games ceremony . 19 June 2021 . Leigh Journal . 6 September 2012.
  4. News: Gregg Warburton to star in school games finals . 18 June 2021 . Leigh Journal . 31 March 2012.
  5. Web site: GREGG WARBURTON #12 . . 19 June 2021.
  6. News: Awards for Leigh wheelchair basketballer . 19 June 2021 . Leigh Journal . 24 September 2014.
  7. News: Gregg Warburton shortlisted for award . 18 June 2021 . Leigh Journal . 17 November 2016.
  8. Web site: 2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ALL-STAR TEAMS . . 19 June 2021 . 27 August 2018.
  9. Web site: Interview with Gregg Warburton: "I haven't really 'looked' to become a leader or anything like that." . Rollt.Magazin . 19 June 2021 . 13 January 2019.