Steve Brown Q & A

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Steve

Brown

Nickname?
"Downtown. It rhymes with Steve Brown."

How does it feel to be back on the team after such a long stint away?
"It's awesome. We're together day-in-day-out. We all eat together, we all watch films together, we talk about wheelchair rugby together! How sad is that? I didn't realise how much I'd missed my team-mates until I was back playing with them again."

You got into the game soon after your accident in 2005?
"I fell off a balcony in Cologne in June, a week after my 24th birthday. There was nothing wrong with me, there was nobody being stupid. It was just one of those things and I landed awkwardly. I first played wheelchair rugby in the October. I was taken to see the GB team after my accident. I was very nervous and very frail, and they were aggressive, violent, full of testosterone. I thought to myself 'Well, if they can get on with it, then so can I.' Two days after I left hospital I had my very first training session. I liked it because it wasn't flat, safe and easy. It felt the closest to how my life was before my accident."

What has been the secret to reaching the top?
"The more I played, the better I got. The better I got, the more I wanted to play..."

What do you like about the sport?
"People highlight the speed and aggression, but one of the things I like is the top two inches. People call it bumper cars with a ball, but I think it's more like chess with violence!"

What has been your best moment in sport?
"Winning the European Championships way back when in 2007. I also had the honour of representing the 2012 hopefuls which was a very exciting and moving experience."

Who is your toughest opponent?
"Ryley Batt from Australia. If you can control him, you can control the team. England can beat Australia, but our focus will always be, 'How do we stop Ryley Batt?' He's that dominant."

Is it cool to have scars?
"During a match in Germany in 2009 my wheelchair was hit by two players at the same time. I broke my sternum, six ribs and bruised my heart. I was in intensive care for three days and in hospital for six weeks. I was out for six months and I missed two big tournaments."

The Paralympics is obviously a big test for you, but what are you looking forward to most other than wheelchair rugby?
"Watching Johnnie Peacock v Oscar Pistorius."

And after the helter skelter of the Games where would you ideally find yourself to recharge?
"France. It's warm and relaxed."