Degree caps life less ordinary

Michael Johnson

It is 10 years since a drunk driver forced Michael Johnson off the road and into a tree, breaking his neck and leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

But the 32-year-old, who "likes a challenge", has never let his disability stop him doing anything - including becoming a Paralympic gold medallist and world record- holder in rifle shooting.

And now he has been awarded a bachelor of information services from Manukau Institute of Technology after six years of study.

"I realised that just because I had been in an accident, life didn't have to stop," Mr Johnson said. "I'm still me inside and there's nothing to stop me competing with able-bodied people on an intellectual level."

It was in June 1996 that Mr Johnson swerved to avoid a drunk driver in Waiuku and careered off the road.

Although he was down and angry, he was "only 22, so young enough that I wanted to get out and do things".

He took up shooting as a hobby and then found himself competing in Athens in 2004. Firing a .22 calibre rifle he set a world record with his perfect shoot of 600 out of 600.

He is now in training for the World Paralympic Championships in Switzerland in July and is confident of performing well again.

"I'm a competitive person and always confident. The moment you doubt yourself, that's when you have problems," he said.

Mr Johnson is among 348 MIT students who will receive their degrees in a capping ceremony next month.

He said it had been good for his self-esteem, as well as giving him an advantage in the workforce.

But he also admitted he is not entirely sure in what direction his career will go with the qualification.

He has the World Championships coming up, but is already preparing for a fresh challenge - which could see him competing against able-bodied athletes at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, by lying down instead of sitting in his wheelchair.

"I got my coach to give me a hand with it the other day and we found I could do it, so that's really put fire in my belly and given me something to aim for," Mr Johnson said.

And while that could mean a double battle cutting through red tape and performing well enough to compete, it is another challenge Mr Johnson relishes.

"Whenever people say, 'You can't do that because of the way you are' it's like a challenge that I can't say no to."