Four Further Paralympians Presented With Official Numbered Pins

A quartet of Paralympians – Paralympian #229 Devon Briggs #234 Mitch Joynt #236 Neelam O’Neill and #238 Joshua Willmer - were presented with their official numbered pins by Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) in a pair of ceremonies over the weekend (14-15 December).

Mitch, Neelam and Joshua received their official numbered pin - which ispresented to every Paralympianwho represents New Zealand at the Paralympic Games - at the 2024 Disability Sport Auckland Annual Awards Dinner. Para cyclist Devon received his Paralympic Pin at the NZ Grand Prix which took place at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome in Cambridge.

Neelam, who made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by becoming the first female Kiwi Shooting Para sport exponent for 40 years to compete at a Paralympic Games and the first New Zealand woman to represent her country in the air pistol at a Paralympic Games, said: “Receiving this pin in front of my friends, family and community is an incredible privilege. Competing for New Zealand at the Paralympic Games has been a dream of mine for many years, but it’s not one I’ve achieved alone. It has truly taken a village of supporters, and this pin symbolises the countless people who have helped me along the way.”

Born with Spina Bifida, Whangarei-raised Neelam began her shooting journey by firing slug guns at cans on family holiday trips before formally beginning her competitive journey in the sport shortly after moving to Auckland and meeting Paralympian #148 MNZM Michael Johnson.

Making her international debut ten years ago, Neelam, 32, who trains up to 20 hours a week at the Parafed Auckland Shooting Club in Mt Eden, finished tenth in the P2 Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 and 21st in the R3 Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Para swimmer Joshua Willmer said of receiving his Paralympic pin: “Receiving my Paralympic pin means a lot to me. It’s a symbol of all the hard mahi I’ve put in, and it’s great to be recognised for that. I’m also really proud to be part of the wider Paralympic whānau.”

A left-arm amputee below the elbow, Joshua grew up in Kawakawa Bay in South Auckland and first engaged with swimming lessons from the age of three.Later taking up competitive swimming and a training partner of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Women’s 100m Breaststroke S8 champion Paralympian #201 Tupou Neiufi – Joshua won a gold medal in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. On his Paralympic debut at Paris 2024, Joshua, who celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this month, recorded a national record of 1:12.73 and narrowly missed a spot in the final by one place.

Mitch, 29, who competes in Para athletics, participated in multiple sports in his youth but in 2013 had a work-related accident which resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee.

Later moving into Para athletics, Whangaparāoa-based Mitch is a two-time Para Athletics World Championships 200m T64 bronze medallist, climbing the podium at both the Paris 2023 and Kobe 2024 editions. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games he performed with pride to finish sixth in the Men’s 200m T64 final in 23.16 – within 0.01 of his lifetime best.

Lynette Grace, PNZ Head of Games and Sport Delivery who presented the pins to the three athletes, said: “Mitch, Neelam and Josh can be all be proud of the way they performed at Paris 2024. To receive a Paralympic pin is a wonderful acknowledgement of the accomplishment and I look forward to seeing how their careers unfold in the future.”

Devon, who was born with Bilateral Talipes (club feet), started his cycling journey at the Grassroots Trust Velodrome at the age of 10 has developed into one of New Zealand’s premier Para cyclists. He claimed a pair of silver medals at the 2022 Para Cycling Track World Championships and won four bronze medals at the 2023 edition in Glasgow.

At the 2024 Para Cycling Track World Championships in Rio he set a world record mark en route to the gold medal in the Men’s C3 1000m Time Trial and also claimed silver and bronze medals. Selected for the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024 he unfortunately was involved in a training accident just prior to the Paralympic Games.

Despite competing in pain, he finished fifth in the Men’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit and seventh in the Men’s C1-3 1000m Time Trial.

Devon said of receiving his Paralympic Pin: “To receive my Paralympic Pin is a huge honour. For many years I’ve dreamed of competing at a Paralympic Games and the Pin is official recognition of the achievement. I’m very humbled that as a Pin recipient my name now joins so many legends of Para sport in New Zealand.”

PNZ Board member Graeme Maw, who presented Devon with the Pin, said: “To be presented a Paralympic pin is a huge honour for any Paralympian. Devon is an outstanding ambassador and role model in our community, and I know he will use this as further motivation to keep building his career on the global stage.”

© Scoop Media