Waukesha Times

On Sunday, September 8, Brookfield Central High School graduate Emily Oberst (2016) won the silver medal as part of the Women’s 2024 Wheelchair Basketball Team at the Paris Paralympic Games. The team was defeated 63-49 in the title game by the Netherlands, following a narrow victory over China in the semifinals (50-47). Playing Center Forward, her team received an automatic bid to play in the games following their 2023 win in the ParaPan American Games.

Emily is a bone cancer survivor and after years of surgery and treatment reduced her ability to maintain physical strength for extended periods of time, she switched to wheelchair basketball and played for the Varsity Junior Bucks team. At age 17, she was recruited to play basketball for the University of Alabama before later transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“BC is proud of Emily and her incredible resilience that made this honor possible,” reflected Brookfield Central Principal Brett Gruetzmacher. “Emily is an inspiration to athletes and cancer survivors everywhere.”

Oberst also took home the bronze in the 2022 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championship, and the gold in the 2019 U25 Women's World Championships. Congratulations to Emily for her incredible accomplishment!