A debutant at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, Portugal have taken the competition by storm, securing the first place in Group B of the preliminary round, with three wins against India, Egypt and Chile.

The reigning World and European champions, a title sealed on their home court in 2022, Portugal were always considered one of the favourites here, at Egypt 2024, but it was always a question about the transition from the Six-a-Side to the Four-a-Side wheelchair handball.

Luckily enough, the European powerhouse did that with ease and are now on a path towards a medal, as the first place in their group meant that they were going to meet the fourth-placed side in the other group, France, in one of the four quarter-finals.

Much of their performance has been due to the team spirit, but also to some great individual performances from one of the team’s stars, Ricardo Queirós. The MVP and the top scorer at the 2022 World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship, Queirós has shone bright at Egypt 2024, being the joint top scorer, with 35 points in three matches.

But how did he get into wheelchair handball and why does he like it so much?

“I got into wheelchair sports after being invited to try wheelchair basketball, but fortunately it didn't last long because I didn't really like it. In the meantime, handball came along and my passion wasn't immediate, but it grew and grew to the point where I now love what I do. I really enjoy playing,” says Queirós.

“If I had to choose the moment when I decided to love handball and start focusing on it, it was when I was first called up to the national team for the European Championship in 2018, when we were European champions for the first time.”

The story starts nearly 30 years ago, when the four-year old Ricardo suffered a big accident, being ran over by a car. The doctors did everything they could – he was an induced coma for three weeks and suffered multiple surgeries, including in Canada and Spain.

Then, the long way of rehabilitation started and from the wheelchair, he started to walk in crutches. But sport was always in his mind. He started swimming – something that Queirós states he still helps him right now, in wheelchair handball. Then, he also played football, as well as trying out in gymnastics.

But handball?

“I learned everything because I knew nothing about handball. I never really followed handball as a kid, so I had no training at all, everything was a new world. I only knew the basics we learned at school, as for the rest, nothing. So yes, I can say that I have learned everything since I started playing handball,” adds the Portugal’s top scorer.

But sooner rather than later, he got the gist of it and became better and better. At times, he can be unstoppable, just as he proved in the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, where he was Portugal’s top scorer in each of the three matches played in the preliminary round.

So far, the European side has only lost a set, against Egypt, dominating their other opponents, taking wins in straight sets against Chile (8:6; 9:6) and India (8:5; 8:6). He scored in double digits in two wins and had nine points in the win against India.

“My focus is always on the team, I don't play for myself, I play for everyone and everyone plays for me. Obviously, the awards I've won for MVP and top scorer in other competitions make me very proud and, with that, brings me a feeling of responsibility. This responsibility is often not beneficial because I can create too much pressure on myself to live up to expectations and the more we want,  the opposite often happens,” adds Queiros.

The team spirit was what brought Portugal over the line in several matches in the past years, including here, at Egypt 2024, and Portugal’s top scorer is the first to acknowledge that, as wheelchair handball is a team sport, even more so than indoor handball.

“I'm nobody without my team by my side or behind me pushing me. Nor will anyone be the best without counting on the teammates they have. And I count on mine, I always have and will always count on them because it was thanks to them that we won what we won, which is what really matters,” adds Queirós.

While handball might not be his favourite sport – that is still football – the passion for it made him be an avid fan of handball. And the common denominator is FC Porto, Queirós’ favourite team.

It is easy to spot the tattoo of the club badge on his skin, therefore when asked about it, he immediately replies with big pride.

“I am a true fan and fanatic of the great Futebol Clube do Porto. I think you can tell that because of my tattoo, right?,” smiles Queirós. “I am a huge football fan and then I am always at the stadium watching all of Porto's games, unless there is a handball match, training camp, or I am very ill,” adds Portugal’s top scorer.

Yet he also made time to go to the handball matches of the former Portuguese champions, whenever they played in the domestic league or in the Champions League. 

“My favourite player, without a shadow of a doubt, was and will always be the eternal Quintana. I was always impressed by his physical imposingness. During the warm-up I would always watch him, because he was impressive and I liked him. At that time I also liked Gilberto Duarte. More recently I liked Diogo Branquinho, who unfortunately left us for a rival and I really like our captain, which I had the opportunity to speak to him through a mutual friend, our star player Rui Silva,” concludes Queirós.