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News posted on Monday 15th May, 2023

Para Sport Collective cohort announced

Para athlete Siobhan Terry high fives ACC CE Megan Main in front of a banner with Para Sport Collective on it
  • Paralympics New Zealand has announced the first cohort of 42 Para athletes and coaches for the Para Sport Collective.
  • The Para Sport Collective is for those in the pre-High Performance stage of the Para sport pathway, where a need was uncovered for greater support and community.
  • The cohort will participate in 3 national in-person camps, with the first camp next week, and bi-monthly virtual connections over the coming 12 months.

Twenty fabulous coaches and 22 phenomenal Para athletes have been selected for the first cohort of the Para Sport Collective.

Paralympics New Zealand set up the Para Sport Collective based on consultation with Para athletes and coaches. An opportunity was uncovered to better support pre-High Performance Para athletes and coaches. The need was for a like-minded community, which may not be available at locally or within a Para sport, as Para athletes and their coaches are dispersed around the country. The community and learning which the Para Sport Collective provides support and builds connections, confidence and knowledge.

One of the selected coaches, Steve O’Kane explained:

“I have coached in Para athletics for 5 years with athletes from 5 years to 52 years of age basically by myself. I have struggled to find information and guidance on all the challenges for my athletes, from training programmes, support services like physio, strength and conditioning, equipment support e.g., mechanics for optimising racing chairs, etc. The network provided by the Collective will be invaluable to myself and my athletes.”

The cohort of 42 individuals announced today represents a massive 14 of the 28 recognised Para sports, and participants’ hometowns range from Whangārei to Invercargill. They come together for the first-time next week (27-28 May) at AUT Millennium in Auckland for the first of three in-person camps. There, they will gain skills, share experiences and build relationships.

To be considered for the Collective, the Para athletes and coaches had to be nominated by their National Sport Organisation, based on meeting criteria such as demonstrating high performance potential. Each individual then submitted an application explaining why they wanted to be part of the Collective and their future sporting ambitions. The applications were reviewed and selections made by Paralympics New Zealand.

The Para Sport Collective is supported by ACC, with CE Megan Main (opens a new tab) sharing her passion for the project:

“Best of luck to these determined and talented individuals. Sport has the power to improve lives and minimise the impact of injury – something we believe in strongly at ACC. That’s why I’m so thrilled that ACC is supporting this pre-High Performance stage of their journey.”

The selected Para athletes and coaches include:

Name

Role

Resides

Para sport

Matt Mill

Coach

Wanaka

 Para athletics

Steve O'Kane

Coach

Auckland

 Para athletics

Chris Knight

Coach

Invercargill

Para athletics

Michelle Au

Coach

Auckland

Para badminton

Marianne Loh

Coach

Hamilton

Para badminton

Zac Franich

Coach

Auckland

Para canoe

Gavin Elmiger

Coach

Whangaroa

Para canoe

Jack Cooper

Coach

Cambridge

Para cycling

Jason Allen

Coach

Christchurch

Para cycling

Jody Hartstone

Coach

Raglan

Para equestrian

Ben Close

Coach

Christchurch

 Para swimming

Lin Tozer

Coach

Palmerston North

 Para swimming

Mark Page

Coach

Ngāruawāhia

 Para table tennis

Lin Tozer

Coach

Palmerston North

 Para table tennis

John Tuki

Coach

Takanini

Para table tennis

Rob Dallimore

Coach

Auckland

 Para triathlon

Frank Schlaffmann

Coach

Auckland

Shooting Para Sport

David Dewhirst

Coach

Dunedin

 Wheelchair rugby

Gavin Rolton

Coach

Waikanae

 Wheelchair rugby

Rene Ruahe

Coach

Auckland

Wheelchair tennis

Alisha Mill

Para athlete

Christchurch

Boccia

Troy Robertson

Para athlete

Whangārei

Boccia

Naqibullah Alizadeh

Para athlete

Auckland

Goalball

Jayden Glentworth

Para athlete

Palmerston North

Para alpine skiing

Jaden Movold

Para athlete

Auckland

Para athletics

Milly Marshall Kirkwood

Para athlete

Inglewood

Para athletics

Charli Gardiner-Hall

Para athlete

Waiuku

Para athletics

Corran Hanning

Para athlete

Wellington

Para athletics

Carrie Wilson

Para athlete

Christchurch

Para badminton

Siobhan Terry

Para athlete

Rotorua

Para cycling

Ben Westenberg

Para athlete

Tauranga

Para cycling

Louise Duncan

Para athlete

 Levin

Para equestrian

James Haydon

Para athlete

Auckland

Para swimming

Millie Long

Para athlete

Christchurch

Para swimming

Rawiri Tristram-Brown

Para athlete

Levin

Para swimming

Guy Harrison

Para athlete

Napier

Para swimming

James Goulding

Para athlete

Auckland

Para table tennis

Keegan Jackson

Para athlete

Invercargill

Para table tennis

Kurt Peterson

Para athlete

Auckland

Para triathlon

Kiranjit Singh

Para athlete

Auckland

Shooting Para sport

Nathaniol Tairi

Para athlete

Auckland

Wheelchair rugby

Jacinta Richardson

Para athlete

Dunedin

Wheelchair rugby

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