Skip to main content
17808
Go to International Paralympic Committee homepage Official website of the Paralympic Movement
Contrast:
High Contrast
Normal Contrast
Enlargement:
Larger Font Size
Default Font Size
Smaller Font Size
    • Home
    • Paralympic Games
    • Events & Competitions
    • The IPC
    • Results, Rankings & Records
    • Media centre
    • Sports
    • Classification
    • Videos
    • Athletes
    • Fan Zone
    • NPCs
    • Agitos Foundation
    • Partnerships
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram

    Media Centre

    • News
    • Blogs
    • Newsletter
    • Magazine
    • Athlete of Month
    • Media Office
    • Ones to Watch
    • Campaigns
    • Top 10 Moments

    No. 38 Para sport reaches new heights in New Zealand

    24.11.2016

    Swimmer Sophie Pascoe and sprinter Liam Malone were amongst the 12 medallists who grabbed the headlines.

    © •
    By IPC
    Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker
    Related Features
    No. 42 Seguin wins third gold, Australia dominate
    No. 41 Para athletes feature in BP, Allianz video campaigns
    No. 40 Big year for Para taekwondo athletes
    No. 39: Yuan Yanping extends winning streak in Rio

    “Everything that's happened is exactly how I imagined it and how I dreamed it.”

    New Zealand’s Paralympians had an exceptional Paralympic Games at Rio 2016, winning 21 podium spots to reach their highest ever finish in the medals table at 13th.

    The country retained its No. 1 position for medals per capita and equalled its best ever gold medal haul from Atlanta 1996, winning nine titles. The public and media in New Zealand also lapped up the incredible performances of the 31-strong team.

    For this, Para sport reaching new heights in New Zealand enters at No. 38 in the International Paralympic Committee’s Top 50 Moments of 2016.

    Athletes such as Sophie Pascoe and Liam Malone grabbed the headlines, resulting in 300 per cent surge in page views on the New Zealand Paralympic Committee’s website.

    Pascoe became her country’s most decorated Paralympian, and is now the proud owner of 15 medals, including three golds from Rio.

    “Every Games has its special moments and memories along with each race,” Pascoe said. “The growth from the previous two Games has been a big step and the biggest challenge of all is retaining titles along with staying mentally focused and physically in condition.

    “So to be standing up on the podium again listening to the national anthem is the most rewarding part from all the sacrifice and hard work that I go through on a daily basis.”

    Along with her increased medal haul, Pascoe and her teammates also helped Paralympics New Zealand reach 2.4 million people on social media. A total of 180 hours of live and delayed coverage was shown on national television stations such as DUKE, TV1, Attitude New Zealand and TVNZ OnDemand.

    “These Paralympics had the most exposure to date so we came back to a very big homecoming and the public having more of an insight to Paralympic sport, which is very exciting for the future of Paralympics in New Zealand,” Pascoe said.

    Whilst Pascoe was entering her third Paralympic Games and cementing her place as one of her country’s most well-known sports stars, a new face also emerged.

    Sprinter Liam Malone stunned with two gold medals in the 200m and 400m T44 on his Paralympic debut. He also attracted international media attention because of his entertaining tweets and persona, as well as the fact that he crowd-funded the money to buy his running blades.

    “I always said I'd only need one shot to make an impact,” Malone said. “Everything that's happened is exactly how I imagined it and how I dreamed it.”

    Malone however shrugged off the suggestion that Rio had been a watershed in his career.

    “Life is the same. People keep asking me if life has changed almost as if they expect I've won the lottery,” he said. “My life changed the day I started setting goals and working at them. I'm still the same guy, sticking with the same process of working hard and not taking myself to seriously.”

    Whilst 12 individual New Zealand athletes medalled in Rio, an increase on the four from London 2012, Malone prefers not to be pigeon-holed.

    “I don't think of myself as a Paralympic champion. I really don't like being defined by titles. I prefer to think of myself as a regular guy who will attempt to do many great things in life. To me the best things in life are not found in the outcome of actions but in the process of working towards those outcomes.”

    To find out more about the IPC’s Top 50 Moments of 2016, visit the dedicated page on the IPC’s website.

    • Tweet
      • print
      • send
    LATEST NEWS
    Nadezhda Fedorova suspended for anti-doping violation 05.08.2019 Nadezhda Fedorova suspended for anti-doping violation
    Nottwil 2019: USA top table as Junior Worlds conclude 05.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: USA top table as Junior Worlds conclude
    Nottwil 2019: Breathless third day 04.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: Breathless third day
    Nottwil 2019: Noah Malone makes his way 03.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: Noah Malone makes his way
    Vote for July’s Athlete of the Month 02.08.2019 Vote for July’s Athlete of the Month
    More news...following the link
    Worldwide Paralympic Partners
    Go to Atos partner page
    Go to Bridgestone partner page
    Go to OttoBock partner page
    Go to Panasonic partner page
    Go to Samsung partner page
    Go to Toyota partner page
    Go to Visa partner page
    International Partners
    Go to Allianz partner page
    Go to BP partner page
    Go to Citi partner page
    • FAQ
    • Privacy
    • Imprint
    • Jobs
    Powered by Go to Atos. Worldwide IPC partner page
    The Paralympic Games
    Summer Games
    Winter Games
    Sochi 2014
    Rio 2016
    All the results & medallist since 1960
    Games video archive
    About the IPC
    Who we are
    Anti-Doping
    Medical
    Partners
    IPC Strategic Plan 2015-2018
    IPC Handbook
    Publications and Documents
    Media Centre
    News
    Features & Interviews
    The Paralympian
    Videos
    Athlete of the Month
    Media Office
    Sports
    Summer Sports
    Winter Sports
    Biographies
    NPCS
    Africa
    America
    Asia
    Europe
    Oceania
    Go to International Paralympic Committee homepage
    Official Website of the Paralympic Movement • IPC
    Homepage
    Paralympic Games
    The IPC
    Results, Ranking & Records
    Media Centre
    Videos
    Sports
    International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
    Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
    Telephone: +49-228-2097-200 • Fax: +49-228-2097-209 • E-mail: info@paralympic.org
    17:48:23