Mariska Beijer

Started: She began competing in badminton at the MSV Zeemacht club in Den Helder, Netherlands. She then got involved in wheelchair basketball at age 11 with JBC in Julianadorp, Netherlands. (mariskabeijer.nl, 23 Oct 2019; Athlete, 20 Aug 2021) Reason: "I attended a demonstration and fell in love with the teamwork, agility, speed and contact. During my first practice I knew that I didn't want to do anything else. The sound of the ball that bounces, crashing of the frames, yelling and even the smell of burned rubber." (mariskabeijer.nl, 23 Oct 2019; Athlete, 22 Jul 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (parawatcher.nl, 26 May 2024) Milestones: She was part of the Dutch squad that won the Netherlands' first Paralympic gold medal in women's wheelchair basketball at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: She was named the Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2018 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. (Twitter profile, 23 Apr 2020) Additional Info: MOVE TO GERMANY After completing her degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the United States of America, she moved to Germany to compete in the Bundesliga where she plays alongside male athletes. "Germany is a very good competition. It is very physical, but I need to play in a smart way because all the men who play there are stronger than I am. I think I have become a calmer player. As a centre, I am up against all those great men so I really have to [try hard] at every training session and competition, which is good for my progression. You often see the best players of the national teams in the German league." (wearebasket.net, 29 Jun 2019; vrouwen-basketball.nl, 22 Sep 2018)