Sarah Adam is a Team USA trailblazer — and after making her presence felt at the Paris Paralympics, she is hoping more women will follow her lead.
The 33-year-old has just won silver as the first woman to play for the US at wheelchair rugby, often referred to as ‘murderball’ because of the physicality, at the Paralympics.
Of the 12 mixed-gender silver medallists in the US wheelchair rugby team, she was the only female and did as much as anyone to take her nation to second place. In the final, she and team-mate Chuck Aoki scored 14 tries each as they were beaten 48-41 by Japan.
“I would be lying if there wasn’t a little extra pressure being that first female — I wanted to show that females have a place in this sport and to do that, you have to be a successful contributor. I wanted to be able to perform to the expectations and perform honestly for my team-mates.
“We were able to accomplish second in by far the toughest bracket in wheelchair rugby that’s ever been in a Paralympic Games.”
Japan’s Yuki Hasegawa attempts to tackle Adam in the final (IAN RICE/AFP via Getty Images)
Throughout the tournament, she scored 55 tries, only trailing captain Aoki in that tally. Gold medallists Japan also fielded a female, Kae Kurahashi, although she did not score a try in her 24 minutes of action.
HERstory made 💪
Congratulations to Sarah Adam and the @usawchrugby team on their silver medal at the #ParisParalympics. pic.twitter.com/6KZnoUxi7b
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) September 3, 2024
There was added pressure too, given that the USA have competed in every tournament since wheelchair rugby’s introduction to the Paralympics as a medal sport in 2000 (it was a demonstration in 1996) and always been on the podium.
Being a trailblazer often comes with unique challenges. In Adam’s case, this meant living separately to all of her team-mates — and wearing the men’s kit. Adam lived with a female US paracanoe athlete, while her team-mates shared apartment suites on the same floor.
“They’re always inviting me over — they’re all so open and have embraced me from the beginning,” she said.
“It’s been nice to chat with other female athletes but I enjoy spending time with my team-mates. You’ve got to have both.”
In terms of kit, Adam was afforded flexibility by Team USA with male and female options. “I’ve got broad shoulders so I tend to prefer the male kit. So we were matching in the village too, which is nice.”
In one of the more physical sports at the Paralympics, Adam had to figure out how she could be effective while being aggressively rammed into by male opponents.
It did not take her long to figure it out, though, starting the tournament with six tries in the USA’s opening victory over Canada — one of the teams with no female players.
HISTORIC‼️
American Sarah Adam scores the first Paralympic goal for a female wheelchair rugby player in Team USA history. 🇺🇸
📺 USA Network & Peacock | #ParisParalympics pic.twitter.com/UZlHswJOhZ
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 29, 2024
“I’m a smaller stature, so I can’t necessarily go in there and be super physical all the time. But I can think three steps ahead, be very strategic and play the chess match. I can also throw my weight around and knock over some guys too.”
Her job, as an assistant professor of occupational therapy, and playing Wordle is how Adam taps into her strategic thinking, as well as card games with friends and fellow St. Louis residents in the team, Eric Newby and Chuck Melton.
There is an advantage of fielding women in the sport too. Wheelchair rugby players are classed according to their physical abilities, from 0.5 for the least able to 3.5 for the most able, increasing by 0.5 at a time.
In the starting four, teams cannot have a combined score above eight, unless they field women. Teams are rewarded an extra 0.5 for each woman they have on the court, allowing more possible starting combinations — with team captain and Aoki classed at 3.0, for example.
Adam was one of eight women to play wheelchair rugby in Paris, up from four at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, a statistic that Adam hopes will continue to grow. This compares to the 88 men that took part.
There will be another opportunity for wheelchair rugby athletes at the upcoming Women’s Cup 2024 and the possibility of a quick return to Paris when the tournament takes place from December 2-8. It will have eight teams of women, including national teams and mixed teams composed of players from various countries.
It is the fourth edition of the tournament, with Great Britain as the holders, who along with other nations, are asking participants to sign up. “I don’t know if I’m going yet,” Adam said. “A lot of us were focused on the Paralympics first and then kind of determining our availability.
“But we’re certainly working to promote it along with other female athletes from each of our countries that are not on the international team, trying to get them to come out and learn from each other and develop.”
For now, though, Adam has shown she can get the best of the males and says the mixed-gender element of the sport is unique and exciting. Her chemistry with Aoki led to a prolific duo, the two led USA in scoring, with Aoki’s 106 tries and Adam’s 55, as she helped him to become the most decorated wheelchair rugby player in US history, collecting his third silver to add to a bronze. No matter who she shared the court with, she did not succumb to the pressure of being a history-maker.
“I feel very free in that chair,” Adam said. “It’s really different from what we use in everyday life. You can go fast, you can be agile, you can make contact.
“For anybody, when you find the thing that you love and you’re really good at it, there’s just this serene moment, this feeling of joy on the court. That’s what it is for me. It’s just pure joy being out there playing rugby.”
Adam shows off her silver medal (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC)
And she says girls should not be put off by the ‘murderball’ title — they should embrace it.
“If it’s piqued your interest at all, just give it a try. This is a phenomenally supportive community. You’re amazed at what you can accomplish and do if you just step outside your comfort zone and try it.”
But what about the bruises? As The Athletic speaks to her, Adam had a small one on her right arm and another on her neck after the final.
“The bruises come along with it, but it’s well worth it. The chair takes most of the contact, but the bruises are in our world, a symbol of tenacity and a medal of their own.”
(Top photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
