Steve Serio

Started: He took up the sport at age 16 with the Long Island Lightning club in the United States of America. (Athlete, 03 May 2016; rollt-magazin.de, 10 Jan 2020; pressroom.toyota.com, 20 Apr 2021) Reason: "I was looking for an adaptive sport when my friends started to play sports in high school. I couldn't compete with them and I needed an athletic outlet. I remember sitting in a basketball wheelchair for the first time, and I know it might sound a little dramatic, but it was the first time in my life I ever felt free from my disability. I'm just so grateful that I found it." (Athlete, 03 May 2016; pressroom.toyota.com, 20 Apr 2021) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 02 Jul 2024) Awards: He and sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves were named flag bearers for the United States of America at the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (today.com, 23 Aug 2024) In 2017 he was named Best Male Athlete with a Disability at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly [ESPY] Awards. (nwba.org, 09 Sep 2023) While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he was named Player of the Game in the US national championship match, National Wheelchair Basketball Association [NWBA] Tournament MVP, and the NWBA's 31st National Intercollegiate Tournament Player of the Year. (pressroom.toyota.com, 05 Sep 2021) Additional Info: EYES ON PARIS Having competed at four previous editions of the Paralympic Games, he has set his sights on winning gold at the 2024 Games in Paris, which would be the US team's third consecutive Paralympic title in wheelchair basketball. "[On winning a third consecutive Paralympic gold] It is something that has never been done in men's wheelchair basketball. It would be the perfect way to end a career in a sport that has given me everything I have to this day. Wheelchair basketball has provided me with the confidence, work ethic and a positive mindset that has turned me into the player, teammate, person and leader I am today." (paralympic.org, 02 Jul 2024) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has served on the Team USA Athletes' Commission. (Instagram profile, 27 Sep 2023)