Mitchell Joynt

Started: He took up the sport at age 23 at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health in Auckland, New Zealand. (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019) Reason: His talent was noticed by Para athletics coach Hamish Meacheam while Joynt was taking part in the 2017 Auckland Marathon in New Zealand. "After the injury I probably realised how much I'd previously taken for granted. I knew I had a chance of maybe one day competing at the Paralympics, so I probably committed to the sport far more than I had before. I loved being active before so didn't want a little accident to stop me. I took it to such a high level to prove to people that I could do it." (Athlete, 06 Nov 2019; athletics.org.nz, 16 Aug 2019 ) Ambition: To continue competing as long as he can and then become a coach. (Athlete, 01 Sep 2024) Awards: In 2023 he was named Athlete of the Year at the Disability Sport Auckland Awards in New Zealand. (athleticsauckland.co.nz, 13 Nov 2023) Additional Info: COACHING He has coached athletes at the Warkworth Athletics club in Auckland, New Zealand, and worked as a strength and conditioning coach. "I'd been keen to take it to the next level. It would [be] great to take an athlete all the way to the international level and it would be cool to one day guide an athlete to the Paralympics. That would be a nice career arc for me. If you are an athlete and live the sport, the opportunity to coach allows you to squeeze more athletics into your schedule. Being a coach also gives you options. Everyone's athletics career is going to end someday, so to have that coaching knowledge once you have [to] stop competing allows you to stay involved in the sport." (athletics.org.nz, 14 Jun 2023)