USA Wheelchair Handball Wins Gold in France; Auburn Athletes Lead the Way

July 7, 2026 — Lyon, France / Auburn, Alabama

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, July 2–4.

Auburn athletes Jay Denning and Ben Edwards, along with head coach Ford Dyke and program staff, represented the U.S. at the international competition. The gold medal represents a significant achievement for a program that has been building toward global success.

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The victory is part of the program’s larger “OperationGOLD” initiative. The team is now looking ahead to the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, September 14–21.

Auburn-Opelika has become a recognized hub for USA Wheelchair Handball, with the program training regularly at Auburn’s Lake Wilmore Park Recreation Center. The program began in 2024 when Auburn helped launch the inaugural USA Wheelchair Handball National Team.

Source: The Opelika Observer

From the Opelika Weekly News Digest — July 14–20, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News

Author: Jerry Katz

Jerry Katz is the creator of Opelika Daily News. A former broadcaster, he has been writing about Opelika for more than twenty years — first as a blogger, now as the one-person newsroom behind this site. He curates the region's local news daily, writes the Katz Ramblings column and the weekly From the Archives look-back, and maintains an archive of more than 3,200 posts reaching back to 2002. He lives in Opelika. Reach him at jerry@opelikadailynews.com. View all posts by Jerry Katz