How wheelchair handball can change a life: “Handball is everything to me”

2022 was a crucial year for wheelchair handball, as the discipline was getting more and more attention, with the first edition of the IHF Four-a-Side Wheelchair Handball World Championship taking place in Egypt, while the World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship (Six-a-Side) were played in Portugal.

While medals are awarded, and a trophy is lifted after every competition – it is a competition, after all – the consensus is that all the players are winners, excelling in a discipline that is usually harder than it looks and celebrating handball even in the toughest situations.

A strong emphasis has been put by the International Handball Federation (IHF) on wheelchair handball over the last years, and it is only normal to celebrate the sport during International Handball Week, with several competitions scheduled over the next years, as the big ambition is to be present at the Paralympic Games in the future.

The Portuguese language stood tall in 2022 in wheelchair handball, with Brazil taking the honours at the IHF Four-a-Side Wheelchair Handball World Championship, while Portugal secured the gold medal on their home court in Leiria at the World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship (Six-a-Side), after a scintillating performance.

And no player embodies better the spirit of this Portugal side than João Jerónimo, the captain of a true wheelchair handball powerhouse, who is also one of the cornerstones of the sport not only in his country but also throughout the continent, having helped to build the sport brick by brick and one moment at a time in his own country.

”I can remember playing handball for as long as I have lived. I think I was four years old when I first started playing the sport, and I have been a lifelong fan of it. Unfortunately, I missed nine years when I had my accident and lost my ability to walk, but I have never stopped watching it,” says Jerónimo.

“In fact, my wife always says that I watch too much handball. I am an avid fan. I stay in front of the TV and watch every domestic championship match or international game. I love watching the World Championship; I love watching the best players every time they take on the court.”

When Jerónimo was only 15 years old, a tragic accident saw him incapacitated to walk anymore, but this served as a huge motivation to inspire others. While the current Portugal captain built his life back, he never stopped thinking about handball. He dreamt about it, continued to watch and eventually figured out how to play it.

This is why he made it his challenge to put a shoulder in building a strong wheelchair handball team, as the sport was not known at all in Portugal a few years back. Now, the European side is a true powerhouse of the continent and one of the best sides, if not the best, in the world.

“I spent nine years without playing handball, and when I learnt about wheelchair handball, I put a plan in motion. I went to the local federation in my hometown, Leiria, and tried to set up a club to have some players featuring in the sport. Of course, there were challenges, but we did our best, and now here we are,” adds Jerónimo.

This was, by no means, an easy task, but Jerónimo knew he had a tough battle to fight before fulfilling his dream. It even meant that he took up wheelchair basketball, which was far more popular in Portugal, before making strides to create a wheelchair handball team.

“The costs to have a team are quite big, but I think I never gave up because of this passion I have for the sport, and I always did not back down easily. When I put my mind to something, I try to have the best outcome,” says Portugal’s captain.

In only a few years, Portugal grew from one wheelchair handball club to eight currently in the country as the sport developed and players became more and more interested in taking it up. The landscape looks better and better as the years progress, and the results start coming up easily.

For Jerónimo, this is truly a dream come true, a moment to cherish alongside his teammates and a job well done which translates into a second chance given to himself and others to shine in a sport everybody loves to play.

“With the mindset I currently have, it could have been different, surely. But I was only a kid, so I did not think much of it. It took me six months of rehabilitation after my accident, it took a lot, but currently, I am in a good place and I am happy to be here,” adds Jerónimo.

Sure, more could be done in Portugal, especially with big handball clubs like FC Porto, Sporting CP or SL Benfica, but the gold medal won at the World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship (Six-a-Side) was a huge boost.

Jerónimo, who currently works for the Municipality of Leiria, is proud of how wheelchair handball has developed in Portugal and is happy about the progress made. But he has one more dream, which he agreed to share during International Handball Week.

“Taking part in the Paralympic Games would be amazing with wheelchair handball. It would mean the world to me,” concludes Portugal’s captain.

Photo: FPA