Corbin targets 2024 Paralympics after first taste
After suffering a horrific workplace injury, Corbin Hart found a new passion in kayaking. That passion took him to the world stage and he's ready for more.
With some vital world-class experience now under his belt, Corbin Hart is aiming to make a real mark the next time the Paralympics roll around in Paris in 2024.
Corbin went into the Tokyo Paralympics in August with less than 18 months of paracanoeing behind him and had little idea of what to expect. The event was therefore a real eye-opener for the 27-year-old, who lost most of his right leg in a workplace injury at the end of 2019.
“It was my first time competing at that level so I had a few whoopsies and have picked up lots of learnings in that respect,” he says. “But to even be there was more than enough for me given it hadn’t been much more than a year since I first got in a kayak.”
Competing against the odds
Corbin competed in four races in Tokyo – the heat, semi-final and ‘B’ final – before eventually finishing with a ranking of 13th.
“I was also really nervous for all my other events, so they were actually just as hard. The Paralympics were tough of course but I still remember the first event I ever did and being worried about falling out of the kayak and all that sort of stuff.”
The COVID-19 pandemic meant friends and family were not able to travel to Tokyo to cheer him on but it was having to isolate after returning that was more frustrating.
“It would have been nice to come out of competing and go straight home,” he admits.
“I didn’t mind too much being by myself over there because you’re so in the moment. But it’s a bit of an anti-climax when you come home and are then stuck in a hotel room for two weeks.”
He enjoyed a few weeks’ break after returning to his home in Whangaparāoa, just north of Auckland, but is now keen to get back on the water.
Upcoming national events may be affected by the alert level restrictions but he hopes to compete at a meet in December and the international stage beckons again next year, in the form of the World Cup in the Netherlands in May and the World Championships in Canada in August.
Looking to the future
His dream of competing at the highest level is made possible largely by the support of ACC, who have provided him with prosthetic legs, financial compensation, social rehabilitation, occupational therapy and counselling.
He will receive further support as he bids to get back to fulltime employment, which he will look to juggle with his paracanoeing commitments.
“I think I’m better than my performances in Tokyo but it’s just about performing under pressure and getting lots of exposure to pressure,” he says.
“So that’s what I’m going to be working on over the next three years, just getting to these international regattas, exposing myself to tough situations and getting used to performing at that level,” he adds.
“Tokyo was a bit like a practice run for me – to be able to qualify and go there with no expectation was actually a blessing. I think you’ve got to go to one Paralympics first to experience it and then have a good crack the next time.”
ACC and Paralympics New Zealand
- We’re proud to be a community partner of Paralympics New Zealand.
- We believe participation in Para sport has a positive impact on wellbeing and rehabilitation.
- Our aim is to motivate and inspire people to lead active lives, through positive role models and opportunities to try Para sport – at any level.
- There are several regional disability sport and recreation organisations around New Zealand, which are called Parafeds. Some national sports organisations also offer Para sport.
- More information and a full list of Parafeds and other Para sport providers is available on the Paralympics New Zealand website.
We wish New Zealand’s Para athletes every success as they work towards the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which take place from 28 August to 8 September 2024.
