Johnson named to Canadian wheelchair basketball team for Paralympic Games

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This article was published 16/07/2024 (435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

From playing in a childhood gym class, Bethany Johnson has turned a suggestion from her physiotherapist into an international wheelchair basketball career.

The 22-year-old from Winnipeg officially earned her spot at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Canada’s wheelchair basketball women’s team on Monday.

“I’ve been with the senior women’s team since November now, so it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,“ Johnson told the Free Press Monday, the day she learned she was going to Paris. “I’ve been trying to enjoy every minute of it honestly. Even just the training opportunities, all summer, I’ve seen a lot of progress in my own game, and it’s just been a crazy few months.

“It hasn’t always seemed the most realistic,” admitted Johnson on her road to the Paralympics. “Until this past year. It tipped off with the U25 Worlds in October, and it’s just taken flight from there. I don’t know that I thought I’d make the 2024 team if you asked me a year ago, probably would have been shooting more for 2028, but this is a welcome surprise.”

At eight years old, Johnson developed a hip condition and during the summer between Grades 7 and 8, she experienced a slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

After her first hip surgery, Darren Cittner, Johnson’s physiotherapist, who played wheelchair basketball for Team Manitoba, suggested she try the game. Then, the following week, Johnson’s gym teacher introduced her class to wheelchair basketball.

“It moved into a bit of a routine for me,” said Johnson who used to practice at the Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg. “The main thing I looked forward to each week was going to practice, and it just became this passion. It’s just a strong, strong desire that you have to get better, you have to get good at this game.”

Nine years since joining the sport, it’s been quite the journey for Johnson, who will compete on a team of 12 athletes on Team Canada at her first Paralympics.

In the Paralympic Games qualifier, the squad went undefeated, including a commanding 88-30 victory over Algeria at the Women’s IWBF Repechage Tournament in Osaka, Japan which secured their spot in Paris.

“Over the past few months, our team has shown incredible dedication, progress, and commitment to improving daily,” said Michèle Sung, head coach of the Senior Women’s National Team in a press release. “Their hard work and determination have them prepared to compete at the highest level on the world stage in Paris.”

Johnson was also part of the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago where Canada earned silver, and the 2022 World Championships in Dubai, where Canada came fifth.

“Every time I get to put the jersey on, it’s an absolute privilege,” said Johnson on representing Canada. “It always makes me think about my parents and how much they’ve done for me over the past decade with sport, and obviously my whole life beyond that as well. But just lining up, hearing the national anthem, there’s nothing like that. It’s just an unbelievable feeling.”

Johnson graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in kinesiology. She also represented Team Manitoba in canoe-kayak at the 2022 Canada Games in Niagara, something that she hopes to do a bit more after her intense basketball training slows down. Recently, she completed her first year at the University of Illinois.

“I think something that helped a lot this last year, partly in thanks to the University of Illinois campus, is just getting out of my apartment to do my schoolwork, just making that time really separate from my regular life,” said Johnson on balancing school and sport. “…As long as I can separate my life into physical spaces, it’s a lot easier to get everything done. I also had some really forgiving teachers.”

Johnson and the team will be off to the United Kingdom for exhibition games on Friday, followed by a return to Quebec City for another camp — then it will be gearing up for the Games.

“Everybody’s uber-competitive,” said Johnson. “But we show it in different ways, which I think is really neat. We’re all just ready to cheer each other on and give everything we got. It’s a good group of girls.”

The women open the tournament against China in Pool A on Aug. 29.

“Looking forward to get down to business,” said Johnson.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca