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Utah Paralympian Ali Ibanez hopes adaptive sports get more exposure ahead of LA 2028

Paralympian Ali Ibanez with her medals in KPCW studios.
Parker Malatesta
/
KPCW
Paralympian Ali Ibanez with her medals in KPCW studios.

A Utah paralympian who competed in Paris for the U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team now has her eyes set on the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.

Murray native Ali Ibanez suffers from arthrogryposis, a congenital disability that limits her ability to use her legs.

She was randomly introduced to wheelchair basketball in her youth and went on to develop her game in college at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

The 24-year-old Ibanez first competed in the Paralympics for the U.S. in 2021 in Tokyo, winning a bronze medal.

This past summer she competed at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where the U.S. women’s wheelchair basketball team lost to the Netherlands in the gold medal match.

It was her first Games experience without COVID-19 restrictions, and she said France delivered.

“You could hardly hear yourself speak when you were in a gym, it was just roaring,” Ibanez said. “France put on a really great show for the Games. They were bringing in tons and tons of fans to the arena, like all the tickets were sold out. Which was obviously completely different from Tokyo, where you could drop a pin and hear it from all the way across the gym.”

Ibanez said the lively crowds were a nice surprise.

“It was just kind of shocking a little bit, because my entire life playing basketball, you don’t get a lot a fans," she said. "Where the WNBA was maybe five years ago, ten years ago is kind of where the Paralympic movement is at right now. So I’m hoping by the time LA comes around, that we’re at that same level of exposure and inclusivity.”

Ibanez thinks social media can play a major role in increasing awareness of the Paralympics. She specifically mentioned American wheelchair rugby athlete Chuck Aoki, who uses his Instagram page to share what it’s like to be an adaptive athlete.

Wheelchair basketball doesn’t use the same set positions as in the stand-up version, like a point guard or center.

Ibanez considers herself a “midpointer” and tends to play a scrappier role for the American team, focusing on defense and passing rather than getting her own shot.

“I’m a weird player because I am not really that much of a shooter,” she said. “I’m mostly picking for my other bigs, or setting a screen for the other midpointers, who are typically shooters.”

Until 2028, Ibanez said she'll spend her time honing her offensive and defensive skills by playing on a traveling team.