Kendra Ohama (January 6, 1965) is a Canadian retired wheelchair basketball player. As a member of Team Canada, she won three gold medals and one bronze during the Paralympic Games.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1965 Brooks, Alberta, Canada |
| Height | 5'1 |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Sport | Wheelchair basketball (1992–2012) |
| Team | Canada women's national wheelchair basketball team |
| Turned pro | 1991 |
| Retired | 2012 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Paralympic finals |
|
Early life
editOhama was born in Brooks, Alberta on January 6, 1965.[1]
Career
editAfter becoming paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 16 following a car accident, Ohama was approached a Calgary Grizzlies player in a store who convinced her to play the sport.[2] She was eventually invited to tryout for the Canada women's national wheelchair basketball team in 1989.[3] Ohama made her senior debut at the 1992 Summer Paralympics, where Team Canada won gold.[4] She also won gold at the 1996 and 2000 Paralympic Games and bronze at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.[1] Ohama was later named to Team Canada's roster for the 2008 Osaka Cup in Japan.[5]
In March 2011, Ohama was named to Team Canada's National Team to compete at the 2011 Parapan American Games.[6] Although the Calgary Rollers finished in third place, she was selected as a Tournament All-Star.[7] In June, Ohama was awarded a $5,000 Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund bursary.[8] The next year, Ohama was selected to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[9] On December 22, 2012, Ohama announced her retirement from the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team.[10] After retiring, she became a goldsmith at a family-run business called "The Goldsmiths."[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Kendra Ohama". wheelchairbasketball.ca. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Payne, Hailey (May 11, 2019). "Wheelchair 'ball proves to be slam dunk in Calgary". Calgary Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Mingo, Rita (April 1, 2008). "Canada targets Paralympic gold". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Saper, Avi (June 20, 2012). "Wheelchair hoops team comes together". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Canada's national women's wheelchair basketball team to compete in Osaka Cup 2008 in Japan". paralympic.ca. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "2011 Women's National Wheelchair Basketball Team Named". bcwbs.ca. March 8, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "BC Breakers Finish 4th at 2011 Women's CWBL Finals". bcwbs.ca. May 18, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Kendra Ohama awarded 2011 Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund Bursary". wheelchairbasketball.ca. 2011. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ "Canada Names Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team". paralympic.org. June 15, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Hagen, Jefferson (December 22, 2012). "Calgary wheelchair basketball star announces retirement". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Tucker, Gil (October 2, 2019). "Calgary goldsmith celebrates 50 years of success in an up-and-down economy". globalnews.ca. Retrieved December 9, 2019.