SADLER Jan

Classification
3.0 (IWBF, 21 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (sportbuzzer.de, 16 Jan 2020)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (sportbuzzer.de, 16 Jan 2020)

Impairment Details
He was born with spina bifida, where there is incomplete closing of the spine and membranes around the spinal cord during pregnancy. (sportbuzzer.de, 16 Jan 2020)

General
GROWTH OF THE SPORT
The profile of wheelchair basketball has grown significantly in recent years. He is pleased with this increase even if it means competition becoming more difficult. "It's getting more and more athletic, fast-paced, harder. Great Britain and the USA have raised the athletic bar very high in recent years. The viewer sees that. I think we are increasingly perceived as an independent and professional sport. I have to explain to people less and less what wheelchair basketball is. Most have heard of it by now. Everyone always talks about advancing inclusion. We live that." (rollt-magazin.de, 21 Mar 2020)

NEW CHAIR
Ahead of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he was equipped with a new competition wheelchair. The chair was an experimental design created by engineers of prosthetic company Otto Bock and allows him to move around the court much easier. "The chair is really fun, it's the best I've ever had. I enjoy it every day. I can even steer with my hips, without hands, that's amazing. I have a lot more power and have been able to change and improve my entire game in the past few weeks." (sportbuzzer.de, 16 Jan 2020)