Gliders qualify for Tokyo Paralympics with second at Asia Oceania Championships

The Gliders have earned a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games after finishing second at the IWBF Asia / Oceania Championships in Thailand.

After finishing the four game pool round with two wins and two losses to sit second they faced third placed Japan in the semifinal. With two wins against Japan already in the tournament they wasted little time etsbalishing their dominance. Amber Merritt was the top scorer as The Gliders cruised to a 49 – 37 win to book a spot in the gold medal game against China. With at least a silver medal to their name a ticket to the Tokyo Paralympic Games was also secure.

With Tokyo qualification secure bragging rights and the gold medal were still to play for. China took an early 16-5 lead and extended that to 33-12 at half time, before a closely contested third put China under some pressure.

A fight back by The Gliders in the final quarter closened the score, though China’s advantage was too much to overcome with the Gliders forced to settle for silver.

Amber Merritt was named as one of the Championship All Star Five, having been a dominant force throughout the competition in the forward half.