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Physiotherapist is putting Bolton on the worldwide basketball championship map
- Bolton Clinical Physiotherapist selected to represent Great Britain at the Maxibasketball World Championships
- Michelle Graham will compete in Switzerland this summer
- She currently plays in the Manchester Area Basket League for Rossendale Raptors
One of Bolton’s physiotherapists has been selected to represent Great Britain at the 17th World Maxibasketball Championships.
Michelle Graham is a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist at Bolton One and this summer will compete in Switzerland.
GB Maxibasketball is a high quality national teams programme for male and female players aged 35 and above and is part of the Basketball England Talent Pathway.
The programme was established in 2017 to encourage former female players back into basketball, and to provide the opportunity for some of these players to represent their country on the international stage.
Michelle started playing when she was 17 in Barry Island and by the time she was 19, she was playing for the Welsh National team and then the National League for Manchester Giants, after moving up north for university.
Currently, Michelle plays in the Manchester Area Basket League for Rossendale Raptors and is delighted to be invited to represent Great Britain.
Michelle said:
I got involved with the Masters Basketball in 2018 and initially played for the 045s team in Malaga for the European Championships, and have been to the World cup in Croatia.
“I moved up an age category to the 050s team last year and played in the European Championships in Italy – we narrowly missed out on a chance to play in the bronze medal match after losing to Ireland in double overtime.
“This year I have had the honour of being named Vice Captain for the World Championships in Switzerland.
“It’s fantastic to be able to play at such I high level still at my age, not only to be competitive, but for the friendships I have made as well. One of my GB teammates played with me at University so we have been playing together for nearly 30 years!
The Great British team can be followed on their Facebook page ‘FIMBA Fifties’ for updates from training sessions and tournaments, including the Strathclyde Masters this weekend in Scotland, and the GB Masters in Cardiff at the beginning of June. As current champions of both of these tournaments, the team will be working hard to retain their titles!
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust are proud to support Michelle and look forward to watching Great Britain in the Championships.