BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Members of Auburn University’s adaptive athletics program helped lead the United States Wheelchair Handball team to a gold medal at the Euro Hand 4 All Tournament held in Lyon, France, on July 2-4.
Athletes Jay Denning and Ben Edwards, head coach Ford Dyke and team athletic trainer Camden Bentley formed a strong contingent for the Tigers on Team USA, which defeated Spain 9-7 and 9-8 in back-to-back sets in the championship game.
It was the second consecutive year the United States has made a podium finish in the competition after placing third last year behind winners Portugal and runners-up France.
According to Denning, who is an industrial and graphic design student and standout wheelchair basketball player at Auburn University, the chance to represent the United States on the handball team was a dream.
“I’ve always got to give the honor to God, who’s [in charge] of my life, but yeah, it was a real honor because this is only my second year learning and playing handball,” Denning said. “Knowing Coach Ford, who helps with our sports psychology and is our mental performance coach in wheelchair basketball, we knew there was a level that we had to reach because he’s not biased and would cut us off if we couldn’t make the team. But we ended up being in the last handful of players in the selection pool.”
In a dominant showing, the United States defeated France in the semifinals in two sets, 8-7 and 11-7. That victory came after the United States defeated Norway in three sets and Lithuania in two, and lost to Portugal in three during the group stage.
Denning said that series of games at one of the world’s most prestigious adaptive handball events would stick with him for the rest of his life as he prepares to help the U.S. adaptive handball team achieve new heights at future events.
“I’m not just representing myself; I’m representing my siblings, my family, my coaches who have brought me up to this point, my school and, above all, my country, and that’s not an easy place to get to,” Denning said. “You can’t really describe that feeling [after winning a gold medal] because of all of the training and everything you’re doing. You’re like, ‘Dang man, is it really going to pay off?’”
The fifth edition of the traditional friendly competition featured a record number of eight teams at the start, highlighting the growth in wheelchair handball throughout the world.
The event served as a warm-up for the 2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, which is scheduled to occur Sept. 16-20 in Granollers, Spain.
Europe and North America were represented in the Euro Hand 4 All competition, with seven European teams and the runners-up from the 2024 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship, the United States, participating.
Portugal was one of the favourites entering the competition, having won three of the past four titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025, and having lost the 2024 final against Spain, 22-21.
The eight participating teams were divided into two groups of four teams each, with the top two sides in each group advancing to the semi-finals.
The United States was drawn into Group A, where they faced Portugal, Norway and Lithuania, while hosts France faced Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands in Group B.
