Shelley Chaplin

Shelley Chaplin began playing basketball when she was 13 years old. Throughout her career, she has twice won silver and captained a team at the Junior National Wheelchair Games. She also won bronze for Australia at the World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in 2002.

In 2004, Shelley was one of the youngest members of the Gliders team in Athens, and she describes winning the silver medal there as the biggest thing she has achieved. Four years later and with a bit more experience, Shelley won a bronze medal after defeating Canada at the Beijing Paralympics. Although Shelley and the team were disappointed not to make it to the final match, she believes the team played exceptionally well throughout the tournament and she is very happy with the result.

After completing her final year of school in 2002, Shelley moved from her hometown of Bendigo to the USA to study and play basketball for the University of Illinois. In 2009, she is returning to Illinois to complete her degree in recreation, sport and tourism and play another two seasons on her basketball scholarship.

Although Shelley admires Dawn Fraser, for being both a champion athlete and a fantastic person, she says the most important influence in her sporting career has been her mum as without her she would not be playing basketball.

With a talent for tying lolly snakes with her tongue and known for always having a smile on her face, Shelley describes herself as vivacious, hardworking and fun. Her advice for others is to strive to be the best you can be, which she lives by in furthering her basketball career.