Steve Brown (wheelchair rugby)

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For similarly named people, see Stephen Brown (disambiguation) and Steve Brown (disambiguation).
Steve Brown
Personal information
Full nameStephen Brown
NationalityBritish
Born (1981-06-02) 2 June 1981 (age 42)
Chatham, Kent, England
WebsiteSteveBrownGB.com
Sport
SportWheelchair rugby
TeamUnited Kingdom Great Britain
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finalsCaptain 2012
Updated on 2 October 2012.

Steve Brown (born 2 June 1981) is a television presenter, public speaker, athlete mentor and a former member and captain of the Great Britain wheelchair rugby squad.[1][2]

Early life

Brown was raised in a family that supported

Crystal Palace Football Club and was inspired by them. He attended Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne, Kent and represented the school in football, cricket and cross-country.[3]

Alongside his sport, Brown's greatest pleasure was in exploring the countryside around his home. His interest was so great that he wanted to be a wildlife presenter. "If I wasn't playing football with my mates I was catching tadpoles and slowworms, and I loved programmes like The Really Wild Show and everything with David Attenborough. So that’s what I wanted to be. But the careers master just told me I wouldn't be able to do that and to forget it."[4]

Injury and recovery

At the age of 23, Brown fell from a first-floor balcony while working in Europe as an area manager for a holiday company. He recounts: "I tripped and fell from a first-floor balcony. I was looking up when I landed, so when my body stopped my head went back over my shoulders, like a severe whiplash. It snapped my neck, dislocating the C7 [one of the cervical vertebra, below the skull] and trapping my spinal cord."[5] Soon after arriving at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Brown was taken to watch wheelchair rugby.[5]

Wheelchair rugby

Brown's potential in wheelchair rugby was noted by the head coach of the Great Britain squad. In 2006, he gained a place in that squad and in 2007 was a member of the team which won gold in the IWRF European Championships.

Brown was not selected for the

London 2012 Paralympics. He has since commented that “Being captain at your home Games is the biggest thing that you could do. I was incredibly proud.”[4]

After the London 2012 Paralympics, Brown retired from playing international wheelchair rugby however remains involved in the sport as a player and the head coach for Canterbury Hellfire Wheelchair Rugby Club. He is one of the most recognised faces in the sport, having featured in national newspapers and television broadcasts including Channel 4's Inside Incredible Athletes.[6]

Television

Since 2012, Brown has worked in television broadcasting as a presenter and reporter. He has presented on the BBC's Truth or Scare, The One Show and Springwatch, [7] and has been a roving reporter for Game Changers on Sky Sports.[8]

From 12 to 16 October 2015, was a presenter for the ITV live broadcast of the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. He co-presented with Martin Bayfield, the former England and British & Irish Lions rugby union player.[9]

Brown worked as a reporter and commentator for the BBC's coverage of the

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.[11]

In April 2017, Brown joined the BBC's Countryfile team. For him this was the realisation of a long-held ambition and a refutation of the careers advisor at school who told him that he would never be a wildlife presenter. He remarked that "[i]t is worth every flat tyre, every muddy set of hands, every wet lap… I want to be judged on my performance. I'm hoping people will see it's about ability, not disability.”[4] He has presented Escape to the Perfect Town, a spin-off to Escape to the Country.[12]

Other work

Brown is a Sky Sports Scholar[13] and a Sky Sports 'Living for Sport' mentor.[14] He is a public speaker and has spoken for organisations including Allianz and Sky. His charitable work includes being an ambassador for Wooden Spoon, a patron of Panathlon and a trustee for the Swale Youth Development Fund.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Player Profile - Steve Brown". GB Wheelchair Rugby. Archived from the original on 2012-08-30.
  2. ^ "Athlete Profile - Steve Brown". ParalympicsGB. Archived from the original on 2012-09-16. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  3. ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Who is new Countryfile presenter Steve Brown? Meet the former Paralympian who is proving the doubters wrong again". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b Rushby-Smith, Tim (16 July 2012). "London 2012 Paralympics: How wheelchair rugby saved my life". The Telegraph.
  6. ^ "Inside Incredible Athletes". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Television | Steve Brown". www.stevebrowngb.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Junior Gunners- Steve Brown". Sky Sports.
  9. ^ "ITV to broadcast BT WWRC". ITV.
  10. ^ "BBC - Steve Brown Q&A - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Channel 4 unveils Rio Paralympics team". Channel 4.
  12. ^ "Escape to the Perfect Town". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Sky Sports Scholarships". Sky Sports.
  14. ^ "Living for Sport Mentors - Steve Brown". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  15. ^ "Community Support | Steve Brown". www.stevebrowngb.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2017-10-26.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Brown_(wheelchair_rugby)&oldid=1210062627"