Name: Courtney Ryan
Country: United States
Sport: Women’s Wheelchair Basketball
Previous Paralympic Experience: Tokyo 2021
Social Media: Instagram
Who is Courtney Ryan?
Courtney Ryan began her athletic journey as a standout soccer player. Inspired by the USWNT, she competed at the college level with Metropolitan State University of Denver.
But during a 2010 game in the middle of her junior year, Ryan was taken out by a slide tackle and landed awkwardly on her back. As a result of this injury, a blood clot formed and later burst, which led to nerves detaching from her spinal cord.
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The result was that Ryan was paralyzed from the waist down and her soccer career was over.
Undaunted, she began playing wheelchair basketball following her initial rehab and pursued her new sport with fervor.
Ryan transferred to the University of Arizona and attracted notice for her skills on the court, eventually qualifying for the U.S. National Team.
Representing her country during the Tokyo Games, Ryan helped the United States capture a bronze medal at the 2021 Paralympics.
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Subsequently, Ryan and Team USA won another bronze at the 2022 World Championships and took home a gold medal during the 2023 Para Pan American Games.
“The biggest difference between those [Tokyo] and these Games is that there were a lot of first timers, myself included, who were part of that Paralympic team. We know and understand what those high stakes are like now. We’re looking forward to showcasing what this team has got,” Ryan told MSU Denver reporter Rob White.
An out member of the LGBTQ community, Ryan has a tattoo of the equality logo above an infinity sign on her inside right biceps, symbolizing her never-ending support for LGBTQ rights.
She is also featured prominently in the new Outsports and Q.Digital-produced docu-series “Ballin’ Out” which focuses on the LGBTQ players on Team USA’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball squad.
Courtney Ryan at the 2024 Paralympics
Ryan and her teammates are looking to finish at the top of the podium following their defeat of 2021 gold medalists the Netherlands during a recent series of games in China.
“That was a good confidence booster for our team. It gave us the perspective to know that we can do this if we play it right, come out with that confidence and composure. We’re looking forward to getting them in Paris,” she said.
