It was training at the Ardmore National Shooting Complex in South Auckland which formed the foundation for the future success of six-time Paralympian #148 Michael Johnson.
He proved a natural on the range. Within a year of first picking up a gun he competed at his first international event. Within three years he was crowned a Paralympic champion in the Mixed Air Rifle Standing SH2 and the Waiuku-based marksman has gone on to carve out an outstanding career, which has included a further two Paralympic bronze medals and a pair of world titles.
Sustaining a spinal cord injury following a motor vehicle accident in 1996, Michael later returned to university to study a business diploma and, keen to fill in his spare time by taking on a new hobby, he initially tried Para archery. However, after finding the sport was not for him his life was to tilt in a new direction after reading about Shooting Para sport based out of the Ardmore National Shooting Complex in a brochure.
“The range wasn’t very far from my home at the time, so I decided to give the sport a go,” recalls Michael. “I dragged my dad along to help and I bought an air rifle from another club member for $500. I brought along a little barbeque table with a stand to rest the rifle on, but the bench heights were quite high back then, so we put down concrete blocks and some plywood to sit the chair on which allowed me to rest on the table. It must have looked crazy, but I enjoyed that first experience and everyone was super happy to help.”
Built for the 1990 Commonwealth Games and situated on New Zealand Army land, the Ardmore National Shooting Complex was an impressive facility. Boasting an indoor 10m range and outdoor ranges of both 50m and 300m – Michael quickly became fully engaged in the sport.
However, his motivation was truly ignited following his first competition – an Oceania event – at Ardmore in which he was pitted against several vocal Australian competitors.
“They all gave me a hard time that they were going to beat me, which of course they did because I was very inexperienced at that time,” says Michael. “But I took inspiration from that and used it as motivation to get better and better.
“For me, the real attraction of the sport is the competition. I felt like I had found my niche. When you have a disability, your world is flipped upside down and you don’t know what you are going to do. But the prospect of beating people (in Shooting Para sport) made me want to continue. I would often compete back then with the able-bodied shooters, which was another aspect of the sport I love, its inclusiveness.”
The sport also aligned well with his personality. A “details orientated” person he understood the importance of having the method to shooting well and from that point on it was – in his words – all about “hard work.”
He gave the first clear indication of his talent on his international debut in Busan, South Korea when finishing fourth at the FESPIC Games in 2002 before he earned selection for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games alongside fellow New Zealand Shooting Para sport athlete Paralympian #54 Colin Willis MNZM, who was attending his fifth Paralympic Games.
It was to prove a watershed moment in his career as he claimed a stunning gold medal in Athens 2004 in the Mixed Air Rifle Standing SH2 event, an achievement which remains – some 21 years on – a career highlight.
In 2006 he proved his Paralympic Games gold medal was no fluke when securing the world title but in 2007 Ardmore was to close its doors as a public shooting venue when the NZ Army took over the lease. It was a sad day for Michael, but he looks back fondly on the facility which helped kick-start his medal-laden career.
“As I was getting into the sport Ardmore was hugely critical for me,” explains Michael. “At that time there was very few other shooting ranges around and the staff were very supportive – all of whom played a big part in my journey to the Paralympic Games.”
The closure of Ardmore, however, did not spell the end for the resourceful Michael. For a period, he set up a shooting range at home where he would fire from the kitchen past the bathroom and down the hallway to a target situated on the wall.
He later claimed further bronze medals at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games before just over ten years ago transitioning to their current venue in Mt Eden at the Parafed Auckland Shooting Club. Helping personally to source the venue – which is a former soccer clubroom – he practices and coaches at the location twice a week.
Today motivated to helping others achieve their Shooting Para sport goals, he still, however, harbours a fierce competitive will and he hopes to appear in what would be a record setting seventh Paralympic Games appearance by a New Zealand Paralympian at LA 2028.
He would encourage others with a disability to have a crack at Shooting Para sport due to its inclusive nature – and for him it has enriched his life greatly.
“The sport has formed a huge part of my identity, and a huge amount of friends both in New Zealand and internationally,” explains Michael. “It has given me a passion and something to focus on outside of my disability.”
