USA Wheelchair Rugby Wins Gold at 2026 World Championship
USA Wheelchair Rugby is back on top of the world for the first time in 16 years after winning gold at the 2026 WWR World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil.
The U.S. national team beat longtime rival Australia, 57-51, in the gold medal match, reclaiming the title as the sport’s top program.
Head coach Joe Delagrave of Wisconsin says the team worked hard to keep the weight of history from creeping into their heads before the final.
“We have a long history of gold medal games throughout our 16-year drought,” Delagrave says. “It’s easy to get introspective on what it means — is it going to happen, are we erasing a drought? We have to minimize some of those narratives that can play in your head.”
Alex Pabon of Guayama, Puerto Rico, was named Best in Class in the 2.5 classification. Co-captain Chuck Aoki of Minneapolis was named tournament MVP.
The win extends a rivalry between the U.S. and Australia’s Steelers that dates back to the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. The two teams also met for gold at the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2016 Rio Games, where Australia won in double overtime in a match still considered one of the best in the sport’s history. They faced off again in world championship finals in 2010 and 2022.
With the LA28 Paralympics in Los Angeles less than two years away, Delagrave sees the win as a springboard heading into the first U.S.-based Paralympic Games in three decades.
“It’s huge,” he says. “To be reigning world champions going into the final two years of the quad, especially going into LA. We want to be on top of that podium, but a lot of other teams do, as well. For us, we can still get so much better and continue to build our depth.”
Delagrave closed by crediting the team’s staff, family and the athletes who helped get them there.
USA Wheelchair Rugby roster:
Sarah Adam, Naperville, Illinois
Chuck Aoki, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Travis Baker, Hamilton, Ohio
Clay Brackett, Birmingham, Alabama
Chris Fleace, Tucson, Arizona
Lee Fredette, East Moriches, New York
Brad Hudspeth, Stillwell, Kansas
Mandy Marchiano, Colonial Heights, Virginia
Josh O’Neill, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Alex Pabon, Guayama, Puerto Rico
Kory Puderbaugh, Boise, Idaho
Mason Symons, Hershey, Pennsylvania