AUSTRALIA has won its first ever gold medal in the blue ribbon Paralympic sport of wheelchair rugby, emphatically defeating Canada in the gold medal play-off to complete a near-flawless tournament.
It was an emotional finale for the closely-knit and proud Steelers team, who beat the Canadians 66-51 and - as they had set out to do at the start of the competition - ensured they won every quarter of every match they played in London.
The team was presented its reward by Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, before heading to the Closing Ceremony and, later, enjoying their success with family, friends and teammates.
The win was the perfect end point for the disappointment of Beijing, where the team was beaten in the final by the United States. At London, Australia did not face the Americans as the Canadians beat them in the semi final. Nevertheless, the red-hot form of the Steelers left no one in doubt that there was no team in the world that could have prevented them from claiming the sport's ultimate prize.
The win was a credit to the Australian Paralympic Committee, the team's coaches and staff and, of course, a wonderful group of friends who came together to form an all-conquering team.
To read the entire media release please visit http://london2012.paralympic.org.au/news/generation-making-steelers-claim-ultimate-prize
Last Modified on 18/09/2012 08:54