Jon Pollock

Jon Pollock (born 11 May 1977) is a British wheelchair basketball player. He was selected to train with the British wheelchair basketball squad in 1992.[1] Pollock has played at four Paralympic games: the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, and the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 and the 2008 Paralympics.[1][2]

Jon Pollock

Australia v Great Britain at Sydney's Olympic Park. Pollock is in black/grey
Personal information
Birth name	Joni Pollock
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	(1977-05-11) 11 May 1977 Liverpool, England
Residence	Wigan, Greater Manchester
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Wheelchair basketball
Event(s)	Men's team
Club	Wolves Rhinos
Team	Bulldogs
Medal record Wheelchair basketball Representing  United Kingdom Paralympic Games 2004 Athens Team 2008 Beijing Team

Personal life

Pollock was born on 11 May 1977 in Liverpool, England, with spina bifida, a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. He currently lives in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in north west England.[3][4][5]

Wheelchair basketball

Pollock is a class 2.5 wheelchair basketball player and currently plays for the RGK TCAT Rhinos of Wolverhampton.[2] He has been competing in wheelchair basketball for over twenty years. In his twenty-year career, he has represented Team GB and Paralympics GB four times at various Summer Paralympic Games.[2]

Pollock first competed at the 1997 European Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Madrid, Spain, winning silver. Two years later, he played in the 1999 European Championships in Roermond, Netherlands. He ended in fourth place with his team. In 2000, he was a member of Team GB in the 2000 Summer Paralympic Games, held in Sydney, Australia. Along with his team, they finished in fourth place; out of the medals. In 2001–02, he finished in fourth place at the 2001/2002 European championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the 2002 World Championships, he won silver, in Kitakyushu, Japan. He participated in the 2003 European Championships, in Sassari, Italy. He won bronze in this event.[2][3] In the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece, he was in medal position. He finished, along with his team, in the bronze medal position. Two years after the Paralympics, he was at the 2006 World Championships in Amsterdam. He finished in fifth position. The following year, Pollock was at the 2007 European Championships, in Wetzlar, Netherlands. Along with his team, he finished in silver medal position. The following year, he was a member of the squad in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing. Here, he won his second Paralympic bronze. In 2009 he won bronze in the European championships in Adana, southern Turkey. In 2010, he finished fifth, along with his team, in the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, held in Birmingham.[2][3] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, Pollock and the GB team got through to the semi-finals after beating Turkey,[6] but lost against Canada 52–69, keeping them out of medal position.[7]

References

1. "Jon Pollock - Paralympics GB". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
2. "Jon Pollock". British Paralympic Association. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
3. "Jon Pollock". GBWBA. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
4. "Paralympics 2012: GB wheelchair basketball men - who's who?". BBC News. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
5. "Meet GB men's wheelchair basketball team - Paralympics". Channel 4. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
6. "Paralympics 2012: GB wheelchair basketball men in semis after battle". The Guardian. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
7. "Paralympics 2012: GB men crash out to Canada in basketball semi-final". The Guardian. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.