Impairment Information |
Type of Impairment |
Limb deficiency |
Origin of Impairment |
Congenital |
Classification |
SB-LL2 |
Further Personal Information |
Family |
Wife Aleisha, daughter Millie, sons Luca and Oliver |
Residence |
Wanaka, NZL |
Occupation |
Architect, Athlete, Business Owner |
Languages |
English |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began snowboarding in about 1997, and took up the sport competitively in about 2007. |
Why this sport? |
He grew up close to Mt. Taranaki in New Zealand and developed a love of snowboarding. |
Name of coach |
John Shelly, NZL |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Carlos Mancini (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018) |
Hobbies |
Fly fishing, spending time with family. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018) |
Most influential person in career |
His wife. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018) |
Hero / Idol |
New Zealand rugby union player Richie McCaw. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018) |
Injuries |
In February 2016 he ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee during a race in Canada. He needed 18 months to fully recover from the injury. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018; Facebook page, 17 Nov 2016)
In January 2015 he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in his left knee at the Winter X Games in Aspen, CO, United States of America. He returned to full training on snow 12 months later. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018; paralympic.org, 31 Jan 2016)
In December 2013 he suffered a tibial plateau fracture and partially ruptured the lateral collateral ligament [LCL] in his knee after overshooting a jump during training. It took him 12 weeks to fully recover from the injuries. (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018; voxy.co.nz, 05 Mar 2014) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Smooth is fast." (Athlete, 06 Mar 2018) |
Awards and honours |
He was named the 2015 Senior Sportsman of the Year in Central Otago, New Zealand. (stuff.co.nz, 08 Apr 2016)
In 2013 he was named Athlete of the Year and Adaptive Athlete of the Year by Snow Sports New Zealand. (insidethegames.biz, 05 Oct 2013) |
Milestones |
In 2009 he became the first adaptive snowboarder to be named to the New Zealand able-bodied snowboard national team. (paralympic.org, 31 Jun 2016; snowsports.co.nz, 01 Mar 2013) |
Impairment |
He was born without his lower right leg. (Facebook page, 11 Jan 2019; stuff.co.nz, 11 Aug 2011) |
Other information |
HIATUS In October 2018 he announced he would not be competing during the 2018/19 northern hemisphere season. "I feel after so many years it's a good time to give my mind, body and family a break. For now, I look forward to watching the World Cup tour from my living room and maybe I will be back in 2019/20. Watch this space." (Facebook page, 17 Oct 2018) |