Two-time Paralympian and Para snowboarding trailblazer Carl Murphy has always led from the front and continues to make his mark post his sporting career as a passionate and long-term advocate for Para athletes. Born with only one and a half legs, Carl rides his board with the help of a custom designed carbon fibre prosthetic leg.
In 2013 Carl won the Snow Sports NZ Overall Athlete of the Year Award and was recognised as the Snow Sports NZ Adaptive Snow Sports Athlete of the Year.
Carl made history to become the first New Zealander in compete in Para snowboard cross at a Paralympic Games in Sochi 2014 – finishing an impressive fourth place. Fuelled with a desire to mount the podium for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games he began his 2014/15 Northern Hemisphere campaign by winning Para snowboard cross bronze at the Europa Cup and World Cup silver in the new Paralympic discipline of banked slalom. In January Carl went one better, winning World Cup gold in this discipline in Canada. He also took out World Cup bronze in the Men’s Snowboard Cross. Carl was invited to compete at the X Games at the end of the January 2015. In a nail-biting finals race, and testament to Carl’s competitive nature, he claimed a richly deserved silver medal in a thrilling battle.
At PyeongChang 2018, Carl again performed with pride finishing fifth in the Men’s Banked Slalom SB-LL2 and sixth in the Men’s Snowboard Cross SB-LL2 events.
Wānaka-based Carl has his own architectural design firm. A member of the PNZ Athletes’ Council since 2022 he was elected chair in February 2025. Carl became the first ever representative on the PNZ Board in August 2025.
Carl officially received his ‘numbered’ Paralympic pin as part of The Celebration Project in Dunedin in February 2021.
