SLU’s Sarah Adam Wins Gold at WWR World Championship
Sarah Adam, OTD, assistant professor of occupational science and occupational therapy at Saint Louis University, is a world champion.
Adam and her teammates with USA Wheelchair Rugby earned a gold medal at the 2026 World Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Team USA defeated Australia on Sunday, Aug. 23, in the championship final to earn the program its first world championship since 2010.
The World Championships ran from Aug. 18 to Aug. 23. Team USA played eight matches during that period and finished with a 7-1 record. The US advanced to the gold medal game by taking down No. 1-ranked Japan in the semifinals 50-49. Before beating Australia 57-51 to bring home the gold.
“It was a pretty incredible week,” Adam said.
Adam began playing wheelchair rugby in 2019 and made her international debut at the Americas Championship in 2022. In 2023, she was part of the gold medal-winning Parapan American Games team that secured USA Wheelchair Rugby a spot for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
In 2024, she became the first woman named to the US Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team that took home a silver medal at the Paris Games.
Adam said this tournament was especially satisfying because the path to gold went through two teams, Australia and Japan, who have been challenging foes for the US in recent years. Japan beat the U.S. in the 2024 Paralympics, and Australia took out the US in the World Championships in 2022.
“This team has put in a lot of work this year, and it’s a really special group,” Adam said. “We brought a ton of joy to the court this week, even through some really intense competition, which made it that much more fun to come away with a gold medal.”
Adam served as co-captain of the squad.
“Getting to co-captain this group and be part of bringing a World Championship back to the U.S. is something I’m really proud of,” Adam said. “We’re obviously enjoying this one, but it’s also a big step for us as we continue building toward LA 2028.”