Ixhelt Gonzalez

Started: She began playing wheelchair basketball at age seven with the Chicago Skyhawks through a district programme in Chicago, IL, United States of America. (math.scholastic.com, 11 Mar 2019; MTC Legacy Instagram page, 16 Jul 2018) Reason: She was encouraged to try wheelchair basketball as her brother, who has cerebral palsy, was already on the Chicago Skyhawks team. "I said I would try it out. I went to the first practice and I liked the sport." (math.scholastic.com, 11 Mar 2019; teamusa.org, 23 Aug 2018; today.com, 18 Jan 2018) Milestones: She was the youngest member of the US women's wheelchair basketball team at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo at age 17 years and 95 days on the day of the bronze medal match. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Awards: She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] at the 2023 U25 World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. (iwbf.org, 12 Oct 2023) Additional Info: YOUNG TALENT She was first selected for the United States of America senior national squad in 2018 at age 13. National coach Trooper Johnson had noticed her at a training camp. "It was kind of a big deal for me. This really hasn't happened for teenage girls before. I was smiling and almost cried because I was so happy." (math.scholastic.com, 11 Mar 2019; today.com, 18 Jan 2018)