As the 2024 Paralympic Games kick off in Paris today, numerous adaptive athletes are representing more than Team USA — they’re representing Tucson and the University of Arizona.
One local adaptive athlete is making the Paralympic journey for a third time in hopes of snagging a gold medal.
Wheelchair rugby player Josh Wheeler has lived in Tucson for over 10 years and recently graduated from the UA, where he played on the wheelchair rugby team for several years.
“It’s pretty special to wear the Team USA (logo) on your chest right there,” Wheeler said while patting the logo on his jacket. “But also knowing that I represent people from the University of Arizona, from Tucson, both is pretty cool and I hope to be able to represent them well, at the best of my game and outside of the game.
“I hope to represent both my country, my university and my town and my family and make them all proud.”
Wheeler, 44, competed at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games where he earned silver medals. At the 2016 Games, Team USA lost the gold medal match to Australia by one point.
University of Arizona alumni Josh Wheeler participates in passing drills after practice in Campus Recreation’s SouthREC facility. Wheeler was a member of Team USA’s silver-medalist teams at both the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 games in Tokyo.
“That was kind of a downer to finish with a loss at the end of the tournament,” he said. “But we did the same thing in Tokyo. We played Great Britain in the final and lost to them and got a silver medal again. So, it’s been a fun journey, an exciting journey, a lot of elite-level play. And I would love to finish with a gold medal instead of a silver, but whatever happens, happens, but ideally I’d like to finish with the gold medal.”
Leading up to this year’s Paralympic Games, Wheeler has prepared to compete on the world’s biggest stage by watching game film, discussing strategy with his teammates and trying to get back into “perfect shape” since taking some time off earlier this year, he says.
Since arriving in Paris last week, he’s participated in practices with teammates and friendly games with teams from other countries. All wheelchair rugby matches are set to take place at the Champ de Mars Arena near the Eiffel Tower.
Team USA’s first wheelchair rugby match against Canada takes place at 4:30 a.m. Tucson time, Thursday, Aug. 29. It will air live on USA (Ch 28 on Cox, Ch 35 on Comcast, Ch 242 on DirecTV, Ch 105 on Dish), with a replay at 12:30 p.m. also on USA. Viewers can stream the match or watch the replay on the Peacock subscription service.
University of Arizona alumni Josh Wheeler tapes his wrists before practice in Campus Recreation’s SouthREC facility. Wheeler will play for Team USA’s wheelchair rugby team at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Wheeler says he’s most excited about having some of his immediate family like his wife, son, mom and stepdad in Paris to cheer him on. With five brothers and five sisters, not all of Wheeler’s siblings could make the trip, but he knows they’re back home cheering him on.
“We’d fill the stadium if I brought everybody,” he said.
‘Playing for ‘UA’ enabled me to take my game to another level’
Wheeler has played wheelchair rugby since late 2007, only a year after he was “struck by a car while on his motorcycle and broke his neck and lost function of his lower body, part of the function of his right arm and hand,” according to his Team USA profile.
He was introduced to wheelchair rugby while working at Costco when a member of a local wheelchair rugby team invited him to a team practice.
“I see a bunch of guys in wheelchairs, you know, ‘How hard is that going to be, right?’ But then I was watching them and they’re hitting people. Sometimes people fall over, get knocked out of the chair and everything like that. And I was like, ‘Oh, this is more intense than I thought,’” he said. “And so when I got into the chair, it didn’t fit me very well but it was still pretty fun to be able to (participate). I used to play football growing up and basketball and cross country and track and to be able to hit somebody like (in) football again, it was pretty cool. And so getting that athletic drive back was pretty nice. And I love the strategy of the sport, too.”
Wheeler made the USA Wheelchair Rugby team in 2010. He won silver with the national team at the 2022 World Championships.
A few years after moving to Tucson, Wheeler joined the UA wheelchair rugby team which is a part of the university’s greater Adaptive Athletics program that has sent over 50 athletes to the Paralympics in its 50-year history.
Wheeler played with the team until May of this year when he graduated with a Master’s degree in accounting.
“They have a great program. And so playing for them enabled me to take my game to another level,” he said. “I was already on the USA team by the time I moved to Tucson, but it helped me to be able to focus on that rather than some other things like a job because the U of A is a great program that pays for the all the needs that you’d have for the team.
“I owe a lot to the program and I’ll never be able to thank them enough.”
When he isn’t training or participating in a rugby match, you’ll often find Wheeler working as an accountant at a local financial services firm or hanging out with his family and putting together a puzzle, watching a movie or grabbing a burger from Graze Premium Burgers — something he says he’s looking forward to upon his return from Paris.
Wheeler has two silver medals to his credit, but wants to bring a gold home from Paris.
One big question remains after this year’s Paralympic Games — Will Wheeler return to the Games in 2028?
“Time will tell,” he said. “I’m not young anymore, but it’d be pretty cool to be able to play in front of our home crowd in L.A., but we’ll see what happens after Paris.”
Other Paralympians with Tucson ties
Wheeler isn’t the only Paralympian at the Paris Games representing Tucson. Here are a few more athletes who have ties to Tucson or the UA.
- Lee Fredette, wheelchair rugby.
Fredette competed in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games and earned silver medals in both games. He previously played for the UA.
- Chuck Aoki, wheelchair rugby.
Aoki is a UA alum who has earned three Paralympic medals including two silver and one bronze from the last three Paralympic Games.
- Josh O’Neill, wheelchair rugby.
O’Neill studied at the UA and is making his Paralympic debut at the Paris Games.
- Josie Aslakson, women’s wheelchair basketball.
Aslakson is the head coach of the UA’s women’s wheelchair basketball team. She earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
- Courtney Ryan, women’s wheelchair basketball.
Ryan is the assistant head coach of the UA’s women’s wheelchair basketball team. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
- Whitney Dosty, sitting volleyball.
Dosty attended Salpointe Catholic High School and the UA where she played volleyball. She turned to sitting volleyball after an ankle injury. During the 2020 Tokyo Games, she earned a gold medal. Fun fact: Her dad Robbie played basketball for the UA.
- Chelsea Stein, wheelchair racing.
Stein is a current public health student and wheelchair racing athlete at the UA who is making her Paralympic debut at the Paris Games.
- Dana Mathewson, wheelchair tennis.
Mathewson earned degrees from the UA where she played wheelchair tennis. She is the “first American woman to win a Major wheelchair tennis title (2022 Wimbledon Championships, doubles),” according to her Team USA profile.
