Paralympics: Ayr athlete selected as part of Great Britain team

The Games are to be held from August 24 – September 5, a year delayed due to the pandemic, with the GB Wheelchair Basketball Teams currently ranked number 1 and 2 in the world for the men and women’s teams, respectively.

30-year-old Robyn has been a longstanding part of the British Wheelchair Basketball set up and is no stranger to international success - competing at the 2016 Paralympic Games less than three years after first taking-up the sport.

Now a Paralympian, a world silver medallist and a three-time European medallist, Love continues to go from strength to strength in wheelchair basketball.

After playing her first wheelchair game in January 2014, Love went on to make her international debut with the national team at the Osaka Cup in Japan in February 2015, winning silver. This was followed by bronze at the European Championships in September 2015, securing a place for the GB team at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the British team achieved its best ever performance at the Paralympics, finishing fourth.

She then went on to win a second European bronze medal at the 2017 European Championships, before being part of the GB squads who secured historic silver medals at the 2018 World Championships and 2019 European Championships.

Robyn Love in action

Ecstatic at having been selected for a second time to compete at the pinnacle of international sport, Love reflected on what will surely be their most unusual Paralympics to date: “Anytime I get to represent GB I am so grateful and proud. I think I’ve been to Japan six times with the team, and I absolutely love it, the people there are just incredible.

"I know it will be different this time because of the pandemic, but I do think they will still make it a fantastic Games for us.

“I had only just started playing a few years before Rio, so I was just enjoying the ride. I started the first game, and it was incredible seeing thousands of people watching you, so I will use that experience and build on that going into Tokyo.”

“I took-up this sport not that long ago, and wheelchair basketball is honestly one of the best sports there is. It’s technical, it’s tactical, but it’s also a great community to be a part of, which I have found really helpful during my journey, and it is one of the most inclusive sports in the world.”

Love will be hoping that her Paralympic exploits will inspire the young people of Ayr to begin a wheelchair basketball journey - the squad announcement also marking the launch of British Wheelchair Basketball’s Paralympic Legacy Open Events, designed to provide an opportunity for those to get involved with the sport for the first time.

The events will take place across two weekends - August 28 and 29, and September 4 and 5.

British Wheelchair Basketball have also recently launched their new Inspire a generation programme which offers a fun six-week introduction to the sport. You can find your local course here.