A TEENAGER from Rhuddlan who was born with a birth defect has been selected to play for Team GB in her first senior wheelchair basketball tournament at just 18 years old.
Anastasia Blease was born with spina bifida, which is where a baby’s spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, and consequently reduces sensation and function in their legs.
But she has not let her disability deter her, and next week, she will travel to Rotterdam to take part in the 2023 European Championships, as Team GB’s only Welsh female representative.
Her mother, Kristal, said: “We didn't think there would be a sport for her, never mind one in which she has absolutely excelled in.
“Pride doesn't even come close to how we feel about her. We have spent many years looking for funding to allow her to compete and train, and have made sacrifices as a family to get her to where she is today.
“A sports chair alone is custom-made for her, and she has had three of these over the years as she has grown.
“The average cost of these is £6,000; not including the years of travel costs. It was worth it all.”
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A member of Rhyl Raptors Wheelchair Sports Club since the age of eight, Anastasia has also played for North Wales Knights for the last five years, captaining their women’s team and junior squad.
She has won numerous British Championship titles with all three squads, including gold and silver medals in the last five seasons.
At the age of 14, Anastasia was selected to represent Team GB’s under-25s squad, travelling to France to compete in the European Championships, and returned home with a gold medal.
In 2021, British Wheelchair Basketball introduced the world’s first professional wheelchair basketball Women's Premier League; Anastasia was selected to play for Cardiff Met Archers for this first season.
The following season, Anastasia was selected to join Loughborough Lightning, who went on to become league champions are the start of this year; she will continue to play for this team next season.
Anastasia was also selected to represent and captain Wales in the first female wheelchair basketball team in the Commonwealth Games qualifiers in 2022.
She has represented Wales since she was nine years old, and was the youngest Welsh athlete to be selected at that age.
This year, Anastasia has been juggling her A-Level studies along with her commitment to wheelchair basketball.
Anastasia is now awaiting her A-Level results to hopefully be accepted into Loughborough University to study pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry on a sports scholarship.
The upcoming Rotterdam competition is a qualifying tournament for entry to the Paralympics in Paris next year.
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