Liesl Tesch
Encyclopedia
Liesl Tesch is an Australian wheelchair basketball
player. She has represented her country at five Paralympic Games
, winning three total medals. She has made numerous appearances for her country at other wheelchair basketball events. Tesch also competed in the sport as a professional. She has worked towards creating additional professional leagues outside her own country. Tesch discovered wheelchair basketball during her rehabilitation from a bicycle accident that left her disabled at the age of 19.
at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
. She was notable on the squad for her green hair. When asked what she thought of the Paralympic Village, she said "Wow. I'm stoked!!! Our house is great and it's going to be the best decorated in the Village." She is a 4 point player
. She is a five time competitor for Australia at the Paralympic Games
. In 2008, she was part of the squad that won a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing
. She was also part of the silver medal winning Paralympic Games teams at the 2000 Games in Sydney
and the 2004 Games in Athens
.
. She made her national debut at the World Championships in 1990. In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the Motor Accidents Authority in New South Wales. She has served as the team captain, including in 2009.
In 2010, Tesch competed in the Osaka Cup, a competition for the top five women's international wheelchair basketball teams in the world. At the tournament, Tesch was part of the team that defeated the number one ranked American team by a score of 55 to 37.
Tesch has tried to bring professional basketball to locations outside of Australia. She has been heavily influential in establishing professional leagues in England
and Germany
.
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
player. She has represented her country at five Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
, winning three total medals. She has made numerous appearances for her country at other wheelchair basketball events. Tesch also competed in the sport as a professional. She has worked towards creating additional professional leagues outside her own country. Tesch discovered wheelchair basketball during her rehabilitation from a bicycle accident that left her disabled at the age of 19.
Paralympics
Liesl Tesch was a member Australia women's national wheelchair basketball teamAustralia women's national wheelchair basketball team
-History: Women's wheelchair basketball was first played at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, but Australia did not have a team that competed until 1992 in Barcelona....
at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
. She was notable on the squad for her green hair. When asked what she thought of the Paralympic Village, she said "Wow. I'm stoked!!! Our house is great and it's going to be the best decorated in the Village." She is a 4 point player
4 point player
4 point player is a disability sport classification for wheelchair basketball.-History:The classification was created by the International Paralympic Committee and has roots in a 2003 attempt to address "the overall objective to support and co-ordinate the ongoing development of accurate,...
. She is a five time competitor for Australia at the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
. In 2008, she was part of the squad that won a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
. She was also part of the silver medal winning Paralympic Games teams at the 2000 Games in Sydney
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
and the 2004 Games in Athens
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
.
National team
Tesch was invited to try out for and made the national squad in 1990, shortly after she had made the representative side for New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. She made her national debut at the World Championships in 1990. In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the Motor Accidents Authority in New South Wales. She has served as the team captain, including in 2009.
In 2010, Tesch competed in the Osaka Cup, a competition for the top five women's international wheelchair basketball teams in the world. At the tournament, Tesch was part of the team that defeated the number one ranked American team by a score of 55 to 37.
Professional basketball
Tesch is notable because she is the first woman in the world to play wheelchair basketball as a professional. She is a member of the Sydney Uni Wheelchair Flames, a team that competes in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League. She joined the team in 2003. Tesch has played professional wheelchair basketball outside of Australia, for men's wheelchair basketball teams in Spain, Italy and France.Tesch has tried to bring professional basketball to locations outside of Australia. She has been heavily influential in establishing professional leagues in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.