Philip James Pratt

Started: He began the sport at age 12 in Cardiff, Wales. (Athlete, 20 Jul 2016) Reason: "I came from a sporting background. I played wheelchair tennis at quite a high level from the age of 13. But during that period of time I was always playing basketball like every other week just as a [way to] keep fit and try to get quicker for tennis. But tennis for me always felt like a job at a young age, I didn't really enjoy it, whereas every other week I'd go to the basketball court and I just loved balling. It was so enjoyable." (Vipers Wheelchair Basketball YouTube channel, 11 Oct 2020; Athlete, 20 Jul 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 20 Aug 2023) Awards: He was named Disability Sport Wales Male Athlete of the Year in 2019. (disabilitysportwales.com, 30 Aug 2019) He was a member of the Great Britain wheelchair basketball team that was awarded the Bill McGowran Trophy at the 2018 Sports Journalists' Association British Sports Awards. (sportsjournalists.co.uk, 01 Jan 2020; yahoo.com, 23 Dec 2018) He was one of eight players from the British U22 wheelchair basketball team to carry the Paralympic flag into the stadium at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (bbc.co.uk, 07 Sep 2016) Additional Info: MISSING TOKYO He decided to rule himself out of consideration for the Great Britain team for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I just wasn't in a good spot. Since I was 18 or 19, I just had no time to just be Phil Pratt from Cardiff. It was just about the next tournament and the next and with the club season as well and I just crashed. I didn't feel like me so I had to take a step back. Also my grandfather died around that time. He was like a second dad to me and was there for me when I got ill as a child and became disabled, so I felt like as he was there for me for my toughest time, I had to be there for his. I definitely don't regret my decision and I am proud of myself because it was a tough one for me and my family to make. Not being in Tokyo and watching from the outside was weird and it was tough watching them lose in the semifinal to the USA, who went on to win gold. Gold medals are incredible but spending time with loved ones and taking care of your mental health comes above everything." (bbc.com, 09 Jun 2023, 18 May 2023)