He is arguably the best in the world, but for Canadian wheelchair basketball Paralympian Patrick Anderson, it is all part of the job.
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Canada's Patrick Anderson celebrated gold in Sydney. |
The two-time Paralympic gold medalist and ambassador for wheelchair basketball has returned again this year for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, bringing the weight of his country on his shoulders and a professional career spanning over ten years.
At age nine, Anderson was hit by a vehicle with a drunk driver at the steering wheel when playing in his local neighborhood, and he lost both his legs above the knee.
From age ten onwards, he surrounded himself with a group of young men in wheelchairs who introduced him to the sport of wheelchair basketball.
Anderson excelled quickly in the sport, earning a scholarship to the University of Illinois and won his first national gold medal in 1996 at the National Championships with the team from Ontario.
He joined the Canadian national team in 1997 and quickly surfaced as a pivotal player, helping win back-to-back gold medals at the Sydney and Athens Paralympic Games.
"I was part of a generation in the late '90s when wheelchair basketball was changing. The technology of the wheelchair was improving and with it, the players' abilities," he said.
"I have noticed a trend over the years. The bigger guys are taking the ball to the basket but also being able to work the defense. These guys have the height but also the speed and I think this dates back to my generation in the '90s," Anderson said.
Anderson acknowledges that the field of wheelchair basketball has never been stronger. He claims that the qualifying 12 teams are the tightest competition in history.
"The volume of wheelchair basketball has definitely increased of late and I can see the hunger in the eyes of the Aussies and the Americans," he says.
"The best thing is seeing the kids come out of the sporting programs. I really enjoy watching kids at that age because it means the sport is evolving," Anderson said.
In the past few years Anderson has been spending time overseas, playing national competitions in Australia and Germany, in an effort to travel and take a break from his high profile lifestyle.
"In past years, I used to feel the weight of the pressure. I think we are all battling different demons. Individually I have achieved all of my goals and I feel in a good space right now. I think for me, complacency is my biggest hurdle," he said.
Anderson says the Canadian team could not be stronger. The team won gold at the 2006 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester and comes to these Games as clear favorites.
"It comes down to the cliché if we want it enough, we can take our drive and passion to the next level. Our rivals are bringing it to the next level and we need to bring it!"
(BOCOG September 9, 2008)