Michael Johnson dazzles to win double World Championships silver
Paralympian Michael Johnson #148 MNZM produced an outstanding display under intense pressure to claim a pair of brilliant silver medals in the R4 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2 and R5 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone at the Changwon 2026 WSPS World Championships.
The three-time Paralympic medallist, who has competed at six Paralympic Games – a record-equalling tally for a New Zealander – fired an Oceania record score of 254.1 in the eight-person R4 final to claim the sixth World Championships podium finish of his illustrious career.
The 52-year-old Shooting Para sport star then went on to clinch silver in the R5 event, missing out on gold by just 0.1 to Dragan Ristic of Serbia.
Also competing for New Zealand, Paralympian #236 Neelam O’Neill PLY finished 30th in the P2 Women’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 and 52nd in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1. Paralympian #204 Greg Reid PLY, placed 53rd in the latter event.
Read more here on Michael’s R4 silver medal.
Read more here on Michael’s R5 silver medal.
Mead claims global fourth and fifth place finishes
Paralympian #221 Rory Mead led the New Zealand challenge at the UCI Para cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. Competing in blazing hot conditions he placed fourth in the Men’s Road Race H2 and fifth in the Men’s Time Trial H2. Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray PLY finished in the bunch behind the podium placegetters in the Women’s Road Race C5, and finished 11th in the Women’s Time Trial C5.
Smith-Franklin fires at national short course champs
Asher Smith-Franklin was among the star performers at the 2026 NZ Short Course Swimming Championships in Christchurch (27 Sept – 1 Oct) winning four gold medals.
The 20-year-old from Coast Swim Club claimed gold in the Multi Class Men’s 50m Freestyle, Men’s 50m Butterfly, Men’s 100m Butterfly and Men’s 100m Individual Medley, setting a national SM14 record in the latter event and a New Zealand S14 record in the Men’s 50m Freestyle.
Smith-Franklin also set a national S14 record as part of the quartet contesting the Mixed Multi Class 4x100m Freestyle. Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie PLY MNZM claimed a pair of gold medals and set two national records at the Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre. The three-time Paralympic champion smashed the national 100m Men’s Freestyle S4 record in the heats, posting a time of 1:24.56 before going on to take gold in the multi class final. He also topped the podium in the multi class Men’s 50m Backstroke and bagged silver – behind Smith-Franklin – in the Men’s 50m Freestyle.
Leslie completed a successful week by setting a New Zealand Men’s 100m S4 Backstroke record of 1:37.99 on the lead leg of the Multi Class 4x100m Medley Relay.
Paralympian #235 Lili-Fox Mason (S10) clinched a hat-trick of gold medals, winning the Multi Class Women’s 200m and 400m Freestyle and Women’s 50m Backstroke.
@bwmedianz
