Justin Johnson has been named Wheelchair Basketball Canada’s junior athlete of the year.
The 22-year-old from Langley received the award over the weekend at a ceremony in Montreal.
Despite being only three years post-spinal cord injury, Johnson has quickly become one of wheelchair basketball’s fastest-rising stars. He recently earned a spot on the U23 Canadian men’s junior wheelchair basketballteam, which won gold at the U23 men’s Americas zone qualification tournament. Johnson hopes to one day represent Canada at a Paralympic Games.
Johnson got involved in wheelchair basketball after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident in Whistler in 2010. His participation was recently chronicled in a short documentary called Bounce Back.
“Justin is one of B.C.’s hardest-working wheelchair basketball players and the results speak for themselves,” said Sian Blyth, the interim managing director at BC Wheelchair Basketball.
