Jade Atkin

Reason: She followed her older sister Adele into wheelchair basketball after visiting Adele's team. "At that time I didn't have a disability, so I started playing with her because I wanted to just play with her. She couldn't run so it was the only way I could. And then once I got into it, I realised it was really fun and I got really competitive at it and eventually I found out that I was disabled and so got classified." (britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk, 08 Aug 2022; portsmouth.co.uk, 02 Aug 2022) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Away from sport, she aspires to become a social worker. (Instagram profile, 10 Jul 2024; stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk, 28 Jun 2022) Awards: She was named the BWB Women's Premier League Player of the Year for the 2022/23 season. (britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk, 20 Jun 2023) Additional Info: FURTHER EDUCTION After she completes her bachelor's degree in health and social care at Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales, she plans to study for a master's degree in health administration at the University of Illinois in Chicago, IL, United States of America. "I feel my studies flowed into my personal life and have turned me into an insightful and critically aware specialist. Studying the health and social care degree has made me look at issues that I previously downplayed, my growing knowledge has allowed me to challenge injustices staring me in the face. [Speaking in April 2024] I've also been awarded a scholarship by the University of Illinois to study a master's in health administration and so I hope to expand on both my academic and sporting successes." (studentblogs.cardiffmet.ac.uk, 26 Apr 2024) SISTER ACT Her older sister Adele has also been a member of the Great Britain women's wheelchair basketball team. "Really quickly we found a rule of not talking about basketball in the car because it will just lead to arguments. She's a different position to me so I think it helped me more to understand the position that she plays, and it's helped us both see the positions we were in and learn from each other more than anything." (SportsDeskOnline, 08 Dec 2023; uk.news.yahoo.com, 29 Jul 2022)

Sporting Relatives: Her older sister Adele has also represented Great Britain in wheelchair basketball, including at the 2023 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She has also competed for Cardiff Met Archers in the United Kingdom. (worcesterwolves.org, 29 Apr 2024; SportsDeskOnline, 08 Dec 2023; britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk, 08 Aug 2022)