By Nathan Bragg for World Wheelchair Rugby
The Australian Steelers will have a new captain at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship as two-time Paralympic gold medalist Chris Bond will lead Australia at his third World Championship.
Getting into the game
Chris Bond grew up playing various contact sports, including rugby league. After becoming a quadruple amputee due to a rare form of cancer and a bacterial infection at 19, he took up swimming as a competitive and rehabilitative outlet. However, a chance meeting with Brad Dubberley brought Wheelchair Rugby into his life, leading to many incredible accomplishments.
“I was training in the gym (for swimming), and Brad Dubberly rolled in and saw me and said you look like you’d be eligible for rugby; I was like, rugby – what’s that? Let’s do it! If I can hit someone and get back into a team environment, I’ll sign up.”
The sport grabbed Bond’s interest from his first time in a rugby chair.
“They invited me to one of their national team training camps in 2010, from the first time, just watching the training session and getting in a chair to give it a go – I realized this is a sport for me.”
Finding Success
A quick study, Bond made the Australian team for the first time in 2011 and made his Paralympic debut in 2012. At the London games, he helped Australia win their first gold medal, and his partnership with fellow star 3.5 Ryley Batt emerged as a near-unstoppable force on the world stage.
The Steelers would win their first World title in 2014 and then defend their Paralympic gold in 2016, winning 59-58 over the United States in what many consider the best game of wheelchair rugby ever played.
Bond lists the 2016 campaign as his most outstanding athletic achievement so far.
“There are many, but the biggest one is winning that gold in Rio. We eclipsed our triple threat going Paralympics, World Championships, Paralympics . It was also the first time we played all of the other Top 5 teams to get there.” (Canada, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States). To play in what’s considered one of the best games of all-time and then win that double overtime was pretty special.”
Chris Bond
A new role
Bond is taking on a new role this year within the team. After 11 years and over 200 caps, Bond will lead Australia as Team Captain in Vejle.
Chris Bond
“The captaincy of Australia is a massive achievement and honor for my family and me. We’ve had some great leaders in Australia so there’s some big shoes to fill. We want to get back into that ruthless, hungry mindset, and the team thought I’d be a good person to drive that.”
Bond also adds that Australians enter the tournament in a slightly unfamiliar position. They missed the podium at the last Paralympics – and might be underdogs in Vejle.
“Like every major event, we’re coming in to win it. It’s going to be different; some would say we’re coming in as underdogs, given that we haven’t won an event since Asia/Oceanias in 2019. It’s been a while since we’ve succeeded at the highest level. We’ve got excuses for that. But we’re done with excuses now.”
Chris Bond
This year’s team features a mix of veterans and exciting new faces. Bond, Batt, and Andrew Edmonson are all established stars on the world stage, while new athletes like Emilee Miller and Paralympic wheelchair basketball convert Ella Sabljak could have exciting debuts.
“Our aim is to win and I think we’ve got the squad to do that. We’ve still got that core of players who have been there and played in big games and then we’ve got newer athletes giving us that lifeblood and energy as well.”
Bond has grown a lot since his career with the Steelers started. He’s become a husband, father, and business leader off the court and evolved into a star and leader on it. Though he’s gone from young gun to wise veteran, he’s still just as hungry for gold as he was in 2012. His leadership will be vital as Australia pursue victory in Vejle.
Tipping off
Find out if Chris Bond can lead Australia to their second World title next week in Denmark. The 4th-ranked Steelers are in Pool B alongside Japan, Canada, Denmark, Brazil, and Colombia. They open their campaign with the first-ever match against championship debutants Brazil.
Australia’s Schedule
All Times in CEST
Day 2 – October 11
09:00 vs Brazil
15:45 vs Canada
Day 3 – October 12
18:00 vs Denmark
Day 4 – October 13
09:00 vs Colombia
15:45 vs Japan
Day 5-7 October 14-16
Crossovers (TBD)