Wheel Blacks coach Paralympian #223 Gavin Rolton is targeting victory at the World Championships Qualification Tournament in Medellín, Colombia this week (16–19 April NZT), which he hopes will act as a springboard to their wider ambitions on the Road to LA28.
The nine-strong squad will compete against Colombia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Argentina and Chile, with the top three ranked nations advancing to the Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in São Paulo, Brazil in August (15–24).
The Wheel Blacks, who finished third at the Asia Oceania Championships last November – behind Australia and Japan – face their latest international challenge with, according to Rolton, one clear goal.
“I want the team to win. We are not just going to Medellín to qualify for the World Championships; we are there to win the tournament,” explains Rolton, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Ranked eighth in the world – higher than any of their opposition in Medellín – their confidence is understandable. However, after the Wheel Blacks – who are co-captained by Paralympian #212 Hayden Barton-Cootes and Maia Marshall-Amai – missed out on qualification for Paris 2024 – the team are in a rebuilding phase. Newer names such as Jacinta Richardson, Keenan Alexander, and Mitchell Simpson will feature as part of the squad for Medellín, and Rolton, who came on board as coach in late 2024, acknowledges that changes need to be made for the current group.
“Personally, I’ve learned a lot as a coach,” he explains. “The team is developing well, but we have needed to change the mindset of some players. We have good ability and great players, but we want the team to go out there and be more confident.
“We have played against top-class teams in the Asia Pacific zone like Japan and Australia, ranked number one and two in the world. But some of the language we have used when playing these teams at tournaments is, ‘it is okay to be third’. For the past nine months, we have worked with a mental skills coach, Anna Veale, on breathing techniques, resetting, and having the tools to deal with pressure.”
Besides addressing the mindset of the Wheel Blacks, Rolton has also focused on enhancing the overall culture of the team. During a tournament in Melbourne last year, the team all went surfing together, while the coach also invited squad members to be open in front of the group and share their thoughts on their individual journeys, hopes and aspirations.
“These are the hardest conversations to share, but they offer a great chance to understand people and their backgrounds,” he adds. “Some of the team, a few years ago, would not have previously expressed themselves as confidently, and that for me speaks volumes for the group.”
The squad have undergone two successful camps this year, and Rolton believes the introduction of three-time Paralympic silver medallist Josh Wheeler, a US wheelchair rugby star, at the January camp to share his experiences was a huge hit.
Acting as an advisor to Rolton and a mentor to some of the players, he adds: “Josh is the best 2.5 player in the world, so for the likes of Keenan (a 2.5-point player), to get that outside perspective is fantastic. He guides these players and gives them confidence, and I know from my point of view he’s been a fantastic help too.”
Facing five round-robin games, plus potential semi-finals and a final across four days, will be a huge challenge – especially competing at around 1500m of altitude – but Rolton says the team are prepared for what is a key staging post on the road to LA28.
“We have to play top teams and continue to improve; that is the only way to keep progressing,” he says. “Based in New Zealand, we are a long way from anywhere. We don’t get too many opportunities to play international wheelchair rugby, so any opportunity we get, we must be ready to take it.”
Players
Maia Marshall-Amai (Co-Captain)
Mitchell Simpson
Paralympian #216 Robert Hewitt
Keenan Alexander
Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie MNZM
Paralympian #212 Hayden Barton-Cootes (Co-Captain)
Jacinta Richardson
Staff
Korral Heremaia – Manager
Megan Blair – Physio
Yann Roux – Assistant Coach
Paralympian #223 Gavin Rolton – Coach
Joshua Hodgson – Mechanic
Greg Mitchell – Video analysis
Frederica Duncan – Support Staff
Sofia Koch – Support staff
Fixtures – All times NZT
Round Robin
Thursday April 16
Wheel Blacks v Argentina – 4.25am
Wheel Blacks v Netherlands – 11.20am
Friday April 17
Wheel Blacks v Chile – 4.25am
Saturday April 18
Wheel Blacks v Colombia – 2.20am
Wheel Blacks v Switzerland – 8.35am
Sunday April 19
Semifinals, gold and bronze medal matches
***To follow the action via the livestream go here.
***More on Wheelchair rugby go here.
