PARALYMPIC champion Matthew Lewis has been named as a finalist alongside the Australian wheelchair rugby team for Team of the Year as part of the Australian Paralympic Awards, to be held in Sydney on Thursday 8 December.
The Pakenham man helped the Steelers to victory at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, defeating Great Britain, Brazil, Canada and Japan to play their rivals, the United States in the gold medal match.
With neither side extending their margin by more than three points, the fourth period buzzer sounded with the teams tied 49-all.
Australia ultimately edged out the US 59-58 in a double-overtime thriller, becoming the first team in history to win consecutive Paralympic gold medals and a world championship in a four-year period.
Congratulating Lewis and the rest of the Steelers for their gold medal win and the nomination, Chef de Mission of the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team Kate McLoughlin said:
“Wheelchair rugby is one of the most exciting sports to watch at the Paralympic Games, and to see Australia win after such a suspenseful match was one of the highlights of the entire Games.
“The Steelers did an amazing job defeating their rivals and the fact that they were able to defend their Paralympic title from London makes the victory so much sweeter.”
