Wheelchair basketball star Lilly Sellak says fate 'changed me for the better'

On the eve of Para sport’s debut at the FISU World University Games, wheelchair basketball star Lilly Sellak has one powerful message for anyone recovering from a life-changing moment like the one she endured on the way to school in 2019.

Now a Paralympian and Team Studi trailblazer for Rhine-Ruhr 2025, Sellak was 16 years old when a collision with a tram damaged her spinal cord and broke several bones.

“The accident had a huge impact on me and turned some things upside down,” the 22-year-old says. “I was told that I would probably never walk again. (But) I don‘t think you can just accept a stroke of fate like that. I would say it’s changed me for the better – I have come out stronger.”

For Sellak, five years of resolve were rewarded with a place at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, when she helped Germany to sixth place in the women’s wheelchair basketball event. Her route into the sport was not always obvious, however, during her initial three-and-a-half months of rehab at a clinic near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in her home state of Bavaria.

Sellak never expected top-class sport

“I never thought I would really make it into top-level sport,” she says. “I tried out many, but I wasn’t so incredibly good in any of them that I thought I was the talent in that sport.

“I had a lot of programmes, starting with physiotherapy and strength training. I had swimming therapy, and then I had my first encounter with wheelchair basketball. I had my first trial two days after my discharge, and I’ve been playing it ever since.

“Support is key. If my family hadn’t been there, and my friends hadn’t supported me, then I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Sellak’s mother, Steffi, is full of admiration for how her daughter combines a blossoming sporting career with studies in human medicine - a subject she turned to in the wake of her injuries.

“At first, I thought, ‘How is this going to work? How is she going to manage this?’” Steffi Sellack says. “But it’s amazing how she manages to do it all. She knows she can achieve anything she wants - and she will.”

That sentiment is shared by Sellak’s coach at RSV Bayreuth Wheelchair Basketball, who immediately recognised the qualities which could take her to the very top.

“She’s incredibly quick to learn, and adapts to new situations extremely quickly,” Sebastian Gillsch says. “She is an absolute team player, who always goes the extra mile.”

Sellak's goal for Rhine-Ruhr 2025: to win a medal

All the extra miles in rehab and training are now leading Sellak to the magnificent Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, when she will take to the half court at a FISU World University Games for the first time.

“I’ve heard from many people who have been there that it’s always a cool, great experience,” she says. “I am looking forward to a great exchange. My personal goal is of course to win a medal for Team Germany.”

A wider, more consequential, aim for Sellak is to shine a light on 3x3 wheelchair basketball in this FISU Games-changing moment for world university sport.

“I think it’s very important that Para sports are included for the first time this year,” she says. "I find it rewarding to be able to serve as a role model and show others who are newly injured what is possible despite their disabilities."

Don’t miss the chance to watch Sellak and her teammates in action on 17 to 20 July. To book your seats on the side of Team Studi, click here.

Photos: © Steffie Wunderl