Mitch Joynt earned a bronze medal in the T64 200m at this year’s Para Athletics World Championships, held in Paris.
Mitch Joynt earned a bronze medal in the T64 200m at this year’s Para Athletics World Championships, held in Paris.
Ten years after a devastating woodchipper accident claimed half of his right leg, para sprinter Mitch Joynt has achieved his dream of qualifying for next year’s Paralympics.
The 28-year-old amputee athlete competed at the 2023 Para Athletics World Championships, held at Charlety Stadium in Paris from July 8 to 17.
He earned a bronze medal in the T64 200-metre, blitzing the Oceania record time of 23.32 (-0.3) and seizing his podium opportunity, which qualifies him for the 2024 Summer Paralympics, also in Paris.
“Booking my slot for Paris 24 is huge, and then to get a bronze and a new Oceania record... I couldn’t have asked for a better result, really,” he said.
“I was so excited by the result of the race, I actually didn’t know I’d run a new Oceania record until about an hour later.
“I’ve worked so hard for about seven years now, with the main goal always being to become a Paralympian.
“I’ve achieved a lot of things in between and set a lot of records, but being a Paralympian was always my main focus, and to punch my ticket there is pretty special.”
Joynt, from Tauhoa near Wellsford, lost his leg in a woodchipper accident while working as an arborist in Mangawhai in 2013.
After a long recovery which involved being in a wheelchair and on crutches for eight weeks, he was fitted with his prosthetic leg and had to learn to walk again.
He was introduced to the world of para sport by Hamish Meacheam, who spotted him running the Auckland Marathon in 2017.
Mitch Joynt has achieved his dream of qualifying for next year’s Paralympics. Photo / Alisha Lovrich
Meacheam, who is now the community manager at Athletics New Zealand, became Joynt’s fulltime coach, and they have enjoyed incredible success.
Joynt, who is based in Auckland, has gone on to become the fastest para sprinter in the country.
He set the national record for the men’s 200m T64 at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai, where he finished eighth.
Joynt was ranked seventh in the world leading into the Tokyo Paralympics, but he wasn’t selected.
Joynt says ACC played a leading role in every step of his recovery and helped him get back to living an independent life. This included funding his blades for sprinting.
His advice for anyone who has suffered a life-changing injury was to keep trying.
“You have to make progress every day. There are going to be hard days, but you need to make sure you never give up. You can still live a great life.”
ACC chief executive Megan Main said sports could make a huge difference in people’s lives following an injury.
“We want to generate opportunities for disabled New Zealanders – many of our clients included – to participate and compete in para sport, and we value the partnership with Paralympics New Zealand to achieve this.”
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, health, business and animal welfare issues.
