Media Release: Brianna Keyes Makes Global Sporting History

Shelley Tilbrook
2 days ago
2 min read

Australian athlete set for global first as wheelchair handball targets Brisbane 2032

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – 18 August 2026

Canberra athlete Brianna Keyes is set to make global sporting history as the first athlete ever to reach world championship level in both able-bodied indoor team handball and wheelchair handball.

Her selection comes as Australia prepares for its historic debut at the 2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship in Spain, while wheelchair handball builds international momentum in its push for potential inclusion at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games.

Keyes’ international pathway began at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. She went on to co-captain Australia’s senior national team at the 2019 IHF Senior Women’s World Handball Championship in Japan, scoring against elite global opposition while balancing international competition with full-time work, study and the demands of a largely self-funded sport.

Her able-bodied career ended abruptly after a traumatic match injury and complications from corrective ankle surgery left her with permanent loss of ankle function. The impairment limited the explosive movement, speed, agility and jumping required at the elite level, forcing her early retirement from indoor handball and reshaping her relationship with sport.

“What made it so hard was that I didn’t just lose elite level sport, but I couldn’t play any community level sport or kick the ball around with my daughter at the park which I had always imagined doing”, Keyes said. For years, I believed I’d never play sport again”.

After rehabilitation and a long period of adjustment, Keyes rebuilt her elite sporting pathway through para-sport. Once formally classified, she earned selection in Australia’s pioneering mixed-gender wheelchair handball squad — a team set to become the first from Oceania to compete at the IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship.

As a developmental sport in Australia, wheelchair handball operates without corporate sponsorship or government funding, leaving athletes to shoulder much of the cost themselves. With squad members spread across the country, preparation relies heavily on remote training, while international competition brings added logistical demands — from transporting specialised sporting wheelchairs to managing more than 30 hours of travel.

Some athletes may also need to travel with a carer for personal or medical support, adding another layer of cost and coordination. For a largely self-funded campaign, those barriers translate directly into athlete-paid costs for travel, freight, carer support and medical needs.