Naperville North graduate Sarah Adam and her teammates with USA Wheelchair Rugby took home first place at the 2025 World Wheelchair Rugby Americas Championships in São Paulo, Brazil.
Sarah Adam earns gold once again with Team USA Wheelchair Rugby
With Adam serving as co-captain alongside Chuck Aoki, Team USA went undefeated in pool play with victories over the national teams from Argentina, Brazil and Peru.
The team earned a spot in the championship match following a victory in the semifinals over Columbia. The gold medal match featured a rematch between the U.S. and Brazil. Team USA built a halftime lead and maintained it throughout the second half, ending the match with a 61-47 victory over the host country. Top scorers for the United States were Alejandro Pabon with 18, Chuck Aoki with 15, and Sarah Adam with 9.
In addition to winning gold, the USA Wheelchair Rugby team qualified for a spot at the 2026 World Wheelchair Rugby World Championships, which will also be held in São Paulo.
According to head coach Joe Delagrave, “We came here to not only qualify for World Championships, but to win this prestigious event. This was no easy task this week as the level of play in the Americas continues to get better and better. I am proud of the team and how they responded; so grateful to the staff for their incredible dedication and hard work and to our family and fans here and back home who support us every day! We want to thank World Wheelchair Rugby and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee for organizing this tournament here in São Paulo and look forward to coming back next year for World Championships!”
More accolades for the Naperville native
It’s another outstanding achievement for Sarah Adam, who helped Team USA to victory in the 2023 Parapan games in Chili before earning a silver medal at the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris last summer.
Photo courtesy: World Wheelchair Rugby.
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