Impairment Information |
Type of Impairment |
Cerebral Palsy |
Origin of Impairment |
Congenital |
Classification |
F37 |
Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Auckland, NZL |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began the sport in late 2016. |
Why this sport? |
"[It was a] new adventure to learn something new, become healthier and see if I had potential to make it to the top." |
Club / Team |
Papakura Athletic and Harrier Club: Auckland, NZL |
Name of coach |
John Eden [national] |
Training Regime |
He includes music in his training regime. "I'm trying to build a decent foundation to throw and then I'll try and apply some music along the way. Rhythm and timing are the main two things to practise on. The biggest difference is if you go off the beat in music, you have time and space to recover but in shot put, there is none. I have to be careful of how much I apply it to shot put, because shot put involves putting my body into positions that are foreign to me and that's not musical at all. All the work you have to do for three seconds in a movement is pretty amazing." |
Senior International Debut |
Year |
2019 |
Competing for |
New Zealand |
Tournament |
Oceania Championships |
Location |
Townsville, QLD, AUS |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Benza ["After my cousin called me this, I performed under this alias a few times as a casual singer and rapper, and then it just stuck and everyone calls me it"]. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019; Facebook profile, 26 Apr 2020) |
Hobbies |
Dancing, singing. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Being selected for the New Zealand national team. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019) |
Most influential person in career |
His family. (tokyo2020.org, 18 Nov 2020; Paralympics New Zealand YouTube channel, 21 Aug 2020) |
Injuries |
In late 2019 he underwent ankle surgery. (my.ohs.school.nz, 25 Aug 2020) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Difference is the challenge but ultimately the blessing." (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019) |
Other sports |
He has competed in the Physical Disability Rugby League New Zealand [PDRL] competition. He has also represented New Zealand in physical disability rugby league, and took part in the 2018 Rugby League Emerging Nations World Championships in Sydney, NSW, Australia. (canterburyrugbyleague.co.nz, 07 Aug 2018) |
Ambitions |
To win a medal at the Paralympic Games. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019) |
Impairment |
He was born with left-sided hemiplegia. "I have cerebral palsy, a form called hemiplegia, and it affects predominantly my left side. My right side is pretty strong and it's holding the fort so far." (tvnz.co.nz, 25 Aug 2020; Paralympics New Zealand YouTube channel, 21 Aug 2020; attitudelive.com, 25 Jun 2019) |
