Ben Fawcett
Australian wheelchair rugby player
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Benjamin John Fawcett OAM (born 31 December 1990) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player and member of the national wheelchair rugby team. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.[1][2][3]
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin John Fawcett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 December 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | 0.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Melbourne Rugby Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal
Fawcett was born on 31 December 1990.[4] At the age of 18, a snowboard accident in New Zealand led to him becoming a quadriplegic.[4] He lives in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.[5]
Wheelchair rugby
Whilst undertaking rehabilitation in Australia, he was introduced to wheelchair rugby.[4] He was named Australian Rookie of the Year in 2012 and made his international debut for Australian Steelers in 2013 at the tri-series between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.[6]
He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[7] He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017.[8]
At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[9]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo.[10]
Fawcett won his first world championship gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark, when Australia defeated the United States.[11]
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, he was a member of the Steelers that won the bronze medal defeating Great Britain 50–48.[12]
