In full flight, Ryley Batt is an impressive sight, a human wrecking ball of aggression, speed and skill propelled by powerful, tattooed arms and with no compunction about slamming into his opponents in order to impose himself.

And when he does, it’s his adversaries who come off second best. On the wheelchair rugby court, Batt’s fierce competitive spirit stands out, a beacon of determination and domination.

It’s this that makes the Australian 23-year-old his sport’s most captivating player.

The Port Macquarie local, in London hoping to propel Australia to gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games, which start on August 29, is the lynchpin of his side, striking fear into opponents’ hearts wherever he plays.

Batt has no legs, but he’s not afraid to tip out of his chair and land on the ground if it means securing victory for the green and gold.

“I am an aggressive player,” Batt admits. “When I’m off court, I’m a nice guy, but when I’m on court, I’m just a totally different person. I just want to have the ball and be the most dominant player out there.”

It wasn’t always like this. Born without lower limbs, Batt resisted the use of a wheelchair for the first 12 years of his life, instead preferring to get around via prosthetic legs and a skateboard.

“I didn’t like the idea of being in a wheelchair, thought it was for ‘disabled’ people,” he remembers. “I was born like this, so I don’t really know what it was like to walk and I’ve adapted fine.”

A wheelchair rugby demonstration at his school piqued the then 12-year-old’s interest. He decided to abandon his prejudices and give it a go. Three years later he was representing his country at Athens.

“Getting into the sport was fantastic,” he says. “It opened a new life for me, to train everyday and keep motivated and know that you’re playing for your country in a sport is an unreal thing.”

While being the star in the Australian side, Batt is the first to admit he wasn’t in the best shape for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, where his team was beaten to gold by the US. There’s been no chance of shortcuts leading into London.

“Look, I don’t think I’ve trained as hard in my life as I have this year and I’m feeling good and I’m ready and I’m excited and mentally strong for it,” he says. “I can see the  excitement of the younger players around the team and I just can’t wait for it to begin, actually.”

That’s good news for the Australians. In wheelchair basketball, each player has a classification, based on their disability. Batt is rated as a ‘high pointer’, his 3.5 points  forming the bulk of the combined eight a team can field
at any one time.

However, his unparalleled power and manoeuvrability has attracted criticism, most notably from former Great Britain wheelchair rugby athlete Justin Frishberg.

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Frishberg is something of a Paralympics purist, preferring to see wheelchair rugby remain the preserve of those with spinal injuries, those unable to compete at the Paralympics’ other popular sport, wheelchair basketball.

“I think he is probably too good to play wheelchair rugby,” Frishberg said of Batt earlier this year. “Obviously he’s expensive for the Australian team, but it takes more than 3.5 points to nail him down. Sometimes it takes three players.

“Come London 2012, if Ryley is dominating games on his own, then it takes away from the team element of the sport which is so important to us.”

Batt diplomatically says he takes such criticism as a compliment, pleased that his presence is creating doubt in his opponents’ minds. However, it won’t affect his performance.

“Every sport’s got their politics and people just want to stir the pot, I guess. I’ve been classified, I’m in the game,” he says. “

A lot of other players have the same function, if not more function than me. I think people are worried about the game style we pay, Other countries don’t necessarily play like that. Some teams do manage to contain me, so other sides will just have to work it out and do it for themselves.”

Batt is confident of taking gold in London, describing the Australian side as a ‘tight-knit, determined’ bunch who also know how to have fun.

But he also remembers the lessons of Beijing, and remains wary of all opponents, singling out one in particular for special attention.

“Over the last decade, America has been the team we’ve struggled against. They’ve got the depth over there. Their national league has about 36 teams, but in Australia it’s five or six teams,” he says.

“Every other team we’ve beaten consistently over the past five or six years, but not the Americans. But look, we have to get that final first.”

The three-time Paralympian is more than aware of the significance of his high profile. As the Games grow in stature with each passing four years, Batt becomes more of a role model, not just for those in a similar situation to himself, but also for able-bodied people, who are inspired by his attitude.

“I do school talks a couple of time a week now. I try and do as many as I can,” he says “I talk to the kids about the ability of people in wheelchairs. I give them the rundown and show them what we can do and can’t do. They really love it and so do I.”

His own role model is motorcross superstar Travis Pastrana, and true to his skateboarding roots, Batt keeps it extreme when he’s off the court, taking part in motorbike and quad bike riding.

He’s hopeful that one day, he’ll get to showcase his skills in that area in a competitive environment.

“If there was a Paralympic X Games, I’d be the first one in there,” he says. “I love that extreme adrenaline rush sort of stuff. It really suits me, but, for now, it’s just wheelchair rugby … and winning in London.”

 

Coolest man on wheels? Meet Dylan Alcott

Ryley Batt has a competitor for the title of ‘coolest guy in a wheelchair’. Basketballer Dylan Alcott (above) was just 17 when he was part of the gold medal-winning Australian team in Beijing. Two years later, he was named in the sports World All Star Five at the World Championships as the Aussie took the title.

Alcott, cemented his national fame status in Australia when he crowdsurfed in his wheelchair at a 2011 Queens Of The Stone Age concert in Melbourne.

Lead singer Josh Homme saw the 20-year-old and invited him to watch the rest of the set from the stage, describing Alcott as “one badass motherfucker.”

For the moment, though, Alcott’s focus is strictly on retaining gold for his team as he showcases his range of skills at London 2012 – the biggest stage of his life.

 

Photos: Getty