When Gareth Lynch played his first game of wheelchair rugby, he had little hope of being a valuable player - let alone be good enough to play for New Zealand’s national team, the Wheel Blacks.

Lynch suffered a C5-6 leveled spinal cord injury in 2016 and had minimal upper-body strength.

“When I first started, I couldn't throw the ball with one hand,” he said. “I was so slow and couldn’t really contribute to the game at all.”

But after meeting and working with Wheel Blacks coach Greg Mitchell, Lynch discovered his potential and pursued the sport further.

“Over time I just got faster and better and then the game became more fun,” he said.

“My passes got longer and longer and I was able to become a valuable inbounder.

Wheelchair rugby combines elements of different sports, including basketball, rugby, and ice hockey. Players compete in teams of four to carry a ball across the opposing team’s goal line.

Players are assessed into seven classes depending on their functionality - the lower level points indicate less functional ability. Lynch is a one-point player.

The total points on the floor for a team cannot exceed eight.

“It’s a really fast-paced game so getting in the right position at the right time is everything in terms of doing your role,” Lynch said.

“That was a real work on for me, knowing where I needed to be at the right time and getting faster and stronger to be able to get in these positions.”

Lynch is set to make his Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo, having helped his team qualify for the first time in more than 13 years.

The last time the Wheel Blacks went to a Paralympic Games was 2008, narrowly missing out on London and Rio and no one from the current team has been before.

Lynch attributes his love of wheelchair rugby and the opportunity to be part of the Wheel Blacks to the many supporters that have been there for him in the last five years as he undertook his rehabilitation and new Para sport journey. In particular, his partner, Shae Lightwood-Morris.

“I am so lucky to have the unwavering support of my partner Shae on the
journey to Tokyo. I could not be more grateful to have her in my corner. She comes along to my games and on the weekends, we often train together as she is preparing for an Ironman.

“If Shae is going for a run, then I will go for a push and meet up again in a couple of hours.”

The Wheel Blacks play their first game against the USA on Wednesday, August 25.

Michael Johnson had never shot a rifle before a motor accident left him a tetraplegic at age 22.

As rehabilitation got underway, he quickly realised he needed a hobby, something to keep him busy and active.

He returned to university to study a Bachelor of Information Systems before, in his late 20s, he spotted a brochure at Parafed Auckland promoting target shooting and he decided to give the sport a go.

It started off as an outlet for Johnson but quickly turned competitive as he was taken with the challenge of the sport.

Twenty years later, he has competed at four Paralympic Games, winning one gold and two bronze medals. He also has two World Championships to his name.

Para-shooting is almost all a mental game, Johnson says.

“You have to be super particular with things and quite pedantic and once you get past the physical limitations of the sport, it’s really a 90 per cent mental game to be able to battle the nerves and the frustration, all the things that can cut you off,” he said.

“That’s what keeps me coming back, just trying to get better and better.”

Johnson said the sensation that comes with shooting compares to none other.

“It's the one time you really do feel alive,” he said. “Everything is buzzing, your whole body is vibrating, it’s just amazing. You’re freaking out but you do feel alive at that moment.

“You can’t experience that at any other time except when you’re in that high-level competition.”

Johnson is also a coach and loves supporting and developing upcoming Para athletes.

Johnson's Tokyo campaign gets under way on Saturday, September 4

Hayden Barton-Cootes has always had a competitive drive.

So when abruptly faced with life in a wheelchair, he needed a new challenge. Wheelchair rugby was the perfect fit.

However, Barton-Cootes wasn’t initially eager to get onto the court as he recalls his first time being introduced to the sport

“One of the guys got me in the chair one day and said ‘you don’t have to play,’ but then they pushed me in and said it was my turn. I was so angry they lied to me but in hindsight, it was the best lie I’ve ever been told.”

Barton-Cootes has been playing ever since, and as a higher classified player, loves the physicality.

“My strengths lie in my passing game and I love to be physical,” he said. “One of the reasons why I joined was for the crashing and being able to flip people out, in the nicest way possible.”

Barton-Cootes has been involved with the Wheel Blacks since 2015 and is set to make his Paralympic Games debut this week.

In the past, he’s had the opportunity to play in the Australian (South Australian Sharks) and Japanese (Tokyo Suns) domestic competitions.

He’s currently working towards a Bachelor in Sports Science and hopes to work within the industry once he graduates.

Coming from a physical family, Danielle Aitchinson participated in a wide range of sports growing up - from ballet to netball, hockey to athletics.

But it all became a bit much for Aitchison in high school and after struggling to keep up in team sports due to the challenges from her lack of hearing, she called it quits.

She was soon encouraged by her mum to attend several disability camps in Auckland to reignite her interest in sport.

“At one camp, they were showcasing this event called the Halberg Disability Games so I decided to go along to the 2017 one and that was where I tried out all the different sports and athletics was one of them,” Aitchison said.

Two months later, Aitchison competed at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, where she won gold in the 200m and long jump, and silver in the 100m.

Joining the Hamilton City Hawks club in early 2018, she connected with her current coach Alan McDonald but with no long jump in her classification at the Paralympic Games Aitchison focused her energy on the 100m and 200m.

Her focus paid off, and she was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.

On international debut, she flew through her 200m T36 heat securing the fastest qualifier for the final. In the final, it took a world record-breaking performance to beat the then 18-year-old to the gold medal. With a silver secured, Aitchison next lined up in the 100m T36, finishing fourth in the final.

“Worlds was my real taste for international competition and I loved it and loved the whole experience. That’s where I really committed to the dream of going to the Paralympics,” she said.

“Now I just can’t wait to race against the other athletes again and Paris 2024 is also on my radar.”

The athletics in Tokyo start on Saturday, August 28.