Inside My World: Lanre Sowami
SportsAid is aiming to shine a spotlight on the next generation of household names across Great Britain….your local heroes! Our blog series, entitled ‘Inside My World’, will look to offer you an insight into the lives of the country’s most talented young athletes while also offering them the platform to express themselves to a wider audience.
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Lanre Sowami, 23, from Chatham in Kent is a wheelchair basketball player, who competes for Great Britain and London Titans. He is currently supported by Royal Bank of Canada through SportsAid. He was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma as a four-year-old and received treatment for his cancer at Great Ormond Street Hospital but lost the use of both of his legs.
Lanre fell in love with wheelchair basketball, particularly inspired by the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and has risen through the ranks with Great Britain. Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 are firm long-term targets. Lanre graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in accounting and finance in 2019. He is set to start a finance graduate scheme at Openreach this September.
Here, Lanre takes you into his world as he blogs about his introduction to wheelchair basketball, playing alongside Paralympic stars for the first time at London Titans, representing Great Britain at his first international tournament, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the importance of his biggest supporter – mum Ola….
I started wheelchair basketball at my secondary school, Thamesview School, when I was about 12 or 13. It was difficult at school because all of my mates were playing football and joining clubs, and I couldn’t really do that or get involved with conversations about it. I was fortunate there was another guy in a wheelchair at school, Ashley. We were best buds and we played basketball together.
Seeing the likes of Abdi Jama do their thing at London 2012 really inspired me, and I originally joined the able-bodied team at school. I trained with them, but it was a bit awkward because I was the only one in a wheelchair and I was running over peoples’ feet! My teacher, Mr Robinson, suggested joining the Maidstone Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Club, and I immediately got in contact with my occupational therapist who helped me get involved.
As soon as I arrived for my first session I was hooked. It was love at first sight – it was so eye-opening just being surrounded by other disabled people like me, playing the sport I loved. It was a real learning curve – I thought I was decent at school, but mixing with those guys made me realise how far I had to go! But it gave me something to chase, it gave me skills to learn, and outside of basketball it helped me become more confident in who I was.
When I was getting my bespoke chair fitted a few months later I found out the guy who owned the company – GBL – ran London Titans. He convinced me to give it a go in London and that was another eye-opener. The level was a lot higher, with Paralympians and international stars. I remember spotting Ade Adepitan at my first session – I’d seen him on Desperados on TV before I’d even touched a basketball, so that was a massive shock! I train with him weekly now so it’s not so much of a big deal, but at the time I was a bit starstruck!
I worked my way through the national and international ranks, and represented Great Britain at tournaments in Japan, Dubai and Spain before getting the opportunity to compete at the European Under-22s Championships in Italy back in 2018. That was my first major tournament, and while we weren’t as successful as we’d hoped it was eye-opening again. My end goal is to make the Paralympics team at either Paris 2024 or Los Angeles 2028, so I could come up against the guys I faced in that tournament again in a few years’ time.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to compete at the European or World Championships this year due to COVID-19, and times have been quite tough over the last year or so. We train in leisure centres or sports complexes, and they’ve been closed for the majority of the pandemic so I’ve really had to adapt my training. I’ve found a new love for running - or pushing - and I was doing 5km four times a week for about nine weeks, to maintain my core fitness. As restrictions gradually ease we’ve been able to start socially-distanced training with masks on, I’ve been hitting the gym four times a week and I’ve also rented out courts to practice on my own. We haven’t returned to competition yet but that’s pencilled in for December.
COVID-19 has also had a big impact on my life outside of wheelchair basketball. My mum, Ola, is a nurse and she’s been in the thick of things. She’s been amazing and I’m really proud of her. She’s always been hugely supportive of my sport, and has driven me up and down the country since I was 13 to get to competitions. My mum’s a superstar when it comes to nutrition, making sure I’m eating the right food and keeping me healthy. I always want to make her proud - she’s my biggest cheerleader, and is always telling other people what I’m up to.
Away from the court I’ve been focusing on self-development a lot recently, listening to podcasts and applying for jobs. I graduated from university in 2019 and I’ve secured a finance graduate role at Openreach starting in September, so I’m really excited about that. My mum’s always encouraged me to try not to be one-dimensional, and though I know it’s going to be tough to balance my sport and work it’s something I’ve done throughout my life and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in.
What will you do to #SupportTheNext generation of British sporting heroes? SportsAid needs your help to ensure talented athletes can continue receiving the backing they rely on. Find out more about how you can support the charity and have a significant impact on the country’s sporting future!
