Michaela (Kayla) Bell (born 1996) is a 1.5 point British wheelchair basketball player who played for Great Britain at the Osaka Cup in Japan in 2017 and 2018. Her first major international tournament was the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Hamburg, where she won silver.

Kayla Bell
Personal information
Nationality Great Britain
Born1996
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportWheelchair basketball
Disability class1.5
EventWomen's team
ClubSheffield Steelers
Medal record
Women's World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Hamburg, Germany Women's wheelchair basketball

Biography

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Michaela (Kayla) Bell comes from Thatcham. She began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of nine after she was introduced to the game by a teaching assistant. She is classified as a 1.5 point player, and initially played for the Thames Valley Kings, which she represented in the Under 15 and Under 19 competitions in the Lord Taverners Junior league. She later represented the South East region in the National Junior Championships, England South in the National School games championships,[1] and played for the Sheffield Steelers.[2] In 2017, she presented the Kings' end of season awards.[1]

In 2016, she was part of the U25 Women's team that won Great Britain's first ever U25 European title. She then played with the senior team at the Osaka Cup in Japan in 2017 and 2018.[2][3] In 2018 she was part of the team at the 2018 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship Hamburg, Germany. It was her first major tournament, and the team won silver.[4][5] This was the best-ever performance of the British women's team, which had never made the finals before.[6]

She is a graduate of Worcester University with a BSc degree in business psychology. She received support from Britain's Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme.[7]

Achievements

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Former Kings member Kayla Bell selected for Team GB, Women's Squad for 2018 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships". Kennet Radio. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kayla Bell". British Wheelchair Basketball. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Kayla Bell". British Wheelchair Basketball. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b "NED v GBR". FIBA LiveStats. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. ^ "GB Women's World Championship Squad Announced". International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  6. ^ "World Championships 2018 – GB men win gold and our women take silver!!!!". British Wheelchair Basketball. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. ^ "GB wheelchair basketball aces ready to take on world". Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme. Retrieved 1 September 2018.