OSCAR Knight is a professional wheelchair basketball player based between Kingsbridge, Devon and Spain.

He started his sporting journey at age 10, playing basketball for fun in the school playground. This inspired him so much that his mum found a local club in Plymouth where he started training and really developed his passion for the sport.

Alongside training at his club, Oscar began training at his local leisure centre, Kingsbridge Quayside Leisure Centre. Over a ten-year period, Oscar spent hours and hours at the leisure centre, even working there for a year.

He still trains there now when he’s in the UK, and is most at home in the sports hall, practicing his dribbling and working on his cardio fitness or practicing free throws and other shots, usually for at least two hours at a time. The gym and swimming pool at the centre are also a key part of Oscar’s training.

After playing for his Plymouth club for 10 years, Oscar travelled to Spain to compete in a Eurocup competition. At the event he was awarded an all-star ‘5 star’ award and then received various offers from Spanish clubs to turn pro.

Oscar accepted an offer from Vigo in Northwest Spain and, after a great first season, is about to start his second season as a professional, something he has been wanting to achieve ever since he first found out about it as a career.

Oscar’s success doesn’t end there. Having been part of the Team GB squad since 2019 he went on to represent the under-23s in June, winning the European Championships. His current sporting ambition is to be selected for the 2025 World Championships and, hopefully, go on to win them.

Oscar joined the Fusion Sporting Academy many years ago on the recommendation of the general manager at Kingsbridge Leisure Centre and credits this with making all the difference to his training.

Being part of the Fusion Sporting Academy gives Oscar unlimited access to the facilities. He commented: “It’s the only way I can keep training in the off-season - it’s how I got to where I am now playing for GB. It was the difference between being an athlete and not.”

Offering his advice to young athletes, Oscar said: “Always keep going – put in lots of work and you will get where you want to be.”

To find out more about the Fusion Sporting Academy visit https://fusiononline.fusion-lifestyle.com/sportingacademy.