Ella Sabljak took up wheelchair basketball in 2008 and by 2011 represented Australia at the Women’s U25 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Canada, where the team won the silver medal. At the 2015 U25 Championship in China, Sabljak was national captain and guided the team to another silver medal.
Between those tournaments, the 1.0 point guard began to establish herself at senior level, making her debut for the Gliders at the Osaka Cup in Japan in 2013. In subsequent years, Sabljak’s skills and positive influence within the team environment earned her regular selection.
The Gliders’ failure to qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games was a bitter blow. But it only stoked the fire within Sabljak and her teammates, who secured their place for the Tokyo 2020 Games. During her recent Tokyo 2020 Paralympic campaign, the Gliders finished 9th in the world.
During the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Ella was on the team who won a silver medal in the 3x3 wheelchair basketball division, the first time wheelchair basketball has been included in the Commonwealth Games.
The school teacher from Queensland is now a key player for the Australian Steelers Wheelchair Rugby team. She was recently voted by her peers into the WADA Athlete Commission, the only Australian representative (able body or para), as well as recently being voted into Paralympics Australia's Athlete Commission.
Ella participated in the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in Denmark, claiming the gold medal.
