Nick Cummins

Started: He first tried wheelchair basketball but found wheelchair rugby suited him better. He began playing with the Great Britain development team at age 24 and joined the senior squad in 2014. "The sport gave me a sense of purpose and an opportunity to get physically fit after my illness. It has since become my career and, through the sport, I've been able to travel across the world and compete at the highest level." (gbwr.org.uk, 01 Jan 2023; leicestertigers.com, 01 Jan 2023) Reason: "Wheelchair rugby was first put into my head by my sister. She had seen the film 'Murderball' and she told me about it when I was in hospital but at the time I didn't really want anything to do with anything wheelchair-related. So I kind of put it to one side and wasn't interested. Eventually I watched some of the 2008 Paralympics, got in contact with my local club, which was the East Midlands Marauders, and got into it from there." (GB Wheelchair Rugby YouTube channel, 29 May 2020; somebody.le.ac.uk, 18 Mar 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (pukaarmagazine.co.uk, 21 Feb 2022) Awards: He was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2022 New Year Honours list. (skysports.com, 01 Jan 2022; gov.uk, 31 Dec 2021) In 2019 he won the Leicester Tigers Player's Player of the Year award. (le.ac.uk, 21 Feb 2020) Additional Info: FURTHER EDUCATION He has studied for a PhD in history at the University of Leicester in England. (gbwr.org.uk, 01 Jan 2023)