Shae
Graham

Librarian by day, wheelchair rugby player by night. Impressive, right? If not, Shae Graham is also the first female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby. How’s that for wow factor?!

When Shae was 18, she was a backseat passenger in a car crash. Her friend, who was speeding down a quiet residential street in Mackay, QLD, lost control of the wheel and crashed into the side of a house. Shae fractured her spine and pelvis, and suffered a brain injury and ruptured bladder.

Although Shae had been active prior to the accident, she ignored Para-sport for almost a decade, before making and losing a bet with her brother, and giving wheelchair rugby a go. Five years later, she made her international debut at the 2019 Four Nations in Alabama, USA, where she played big minutes for the Australian wheelchair rugby team, the Steelers, and impressed the coaching staff and players alike with a string of strong performances out the gate.

Shae was selected to compete at her first Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020. Selection to the 2020 Australian Paralympic Team was a dream come true for Shae, who set herself a personal goal when she first started playing to reach the Paralympics. At the Games, The Steelers’ nine-year reign as Paralympic champions came to an end when the team finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. It was the first time in 17 years that the team didn’t win a medal.

Redemption of sorts came in 2022, when Shae and the Steelers silenced their doubters by winning the World Championship in Denmark. Shae along with Ella Sabljak and Emilie Miller created history in the process, becoming the first trio of female athletes to form part of a World Championship winning team.

In stark contrast to her skills on the wheelchair rugby court, Shae is also a librarian, and after hanging up her boots, she fantasises about having a bookshop of her very own.