Samantha Bowen (born 21 March 1986) is a former British soldier and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

sitting volleyball Sitting volleyball is a form of volleyball for athletes with a disability organized by World ParaVolley. As opposed to standing volleyball, sitting volleyball players must sit on the floor to play. History Sitting volleyball was invented in t ...

player. Bowen was discharged from the British Army in 2008 after suffering shrapnel wounds following a mortar attack during active duty in Iraq. Bowen subsequently took up the sport of sitting volleyball and represented Great Britain at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...

Personal history

Bowen was born in the town of

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in 1986 and was educated at Mountain Ash Comprehensive School. She joined the British Army at the age of 16 and became a gunner in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. In 2006 Bowen was on tour in Iraq, operating surveillance drones in

Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...

. On 15 May a mortar attack against her base by Iraqi insurgents resulted in Bowen suffering shrapnel wounds to her right leg and back, which almost resulted in her bleeding to death. Emergency surgery saved her life in Iraq before she was flown to

Selly Oak Hospital Selly Oak Hospital was a hospital situated in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham, England. Previously managed by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, the hospital closed in 2011. History Origins The site was originally sel ...

in Birmingham for further surgery. The injuries to her leg were severe, and after a dozen operations she still has paralysis of the leg which has also resulted in her wearing a brace on her foot to enable her to walk. In 2008, the British Army medically discharged Bowen, a decision that angered her. More recently, she underwent another surgery to have the lower leg amputated and refitted with a prosthetic leg.

Sitting volleyball history

In 2011, an old school friend persuaded Bowen to try out a sitting volleyball team, the FSDW Celtic Dragons, based in Cardiff. Bowen made a strong impression and in September 2011 was part of the Women's Great Britain team that competed in the EVCD (European Committee Volleyball for Disabled) European Championships in Rotterdam. The team failed to win any of their games, finishing seventh. Bowen was then selected for the Women's Great Britain team to play in Cairo in the WOVD (World Organisation Volleyball for Disabled) Intercontinental Cup. Britain again finished bottom of their group. Although not securing strong performances leading up to the games, as host nation, the Great Britain women's sitting volleyball team qualified for the

, and Bowen was part of the 11 strong squad. The British team lost all three of their Paralympic matches failing to progress to the knock-out stages, though Bowen had a good game against Japan, finishing as the team's top scorer. After the Paralympics Bowen was selected, along with Welsh Olympian

Dai Greene David "Dai" Greene (born 11 April 1986) is a Welsh retired hurdler who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles, competing internationally for both Wales and Great Britain, as well as Europe in the IAAF Intercontinental Cup. In a 'golden' sixteen ...

, as the mystery runner in the annual

Nos Galan Calennig () is a Welsh word meaning "''New Year celebration/gift''", although it literally translates to "the first day of the month", deriving from the Latin word kalends. The English word "calendar" also has its root in this word. It is a tradit ...

road race.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Samantha Living people 1986 births Sportspeople from Mountain Ash, Wales Paralympic volleyball players for Great Britain Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Royal Artillery soldiers British Army personnel of the Iraq War People educated at Mountain Ash Comprehensive School Women in the British Army Women in the Iraq War British sitting volleyball players Women's sitting volleyball players Military personnel from Rhondda Cynon Taf