Josie Pearson
Josie Pearson, 22, will become the first British woman to play wheelchair rugby for Britain in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, according to the Hereford Times.
She is also the youngest member of the 12-member British wheelchair rugby team. Few women play the hard-hitting sport also known as "murderball," which was featured in an Oscar-nominated film of the same name in 2005.
She became a wheelchair user five years ago, after she broke her neck in a car accident that killed her boyfriend.
Pearson's also a wheelchair racer in the 100m, 200m and 400m, but has curtailed her training in those sports to concentrate on rugby. She began playing rugby less than three years ago and has just returned from playing at the International Wheelchair Rugby Super Series in Australia.
"I picked up the basics pretty quickly," said Pearson, who plays for the Cardiff Pirates team.
"I'm still pretty new to the game but I love it. It's an adrenaline sport and a brilliant sport. The guys are welcoming and I never felt singled out just because I am a girl.
"I'm still pretty new to the game but I love it. It's an adrenaline sport and a brilliant sport. The guys are welcoming and I never felt singled out just because I am a girl.
"We need more girls to play because there's only a handful of us. The sport is growing phenomenally fast but we still need more girls and more publicity."
