Michael Johnson, a three-time Paralympic medallist, has been selected for his sixth consecutive Paralympic Games, equalling the milestone of Paralympian Graham Condon QSM, an athlete and swimmer who competed in six Paralympic Games between 1968 and 1988.

The 50-year-old athlete, who lives in Waiuku, a rural town in the Auckland region, won gold in the R4 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2 event on his Paralympic debut at Athens 2004. Twenty years later, he remains competitive, having secured a place for New Zealand at Paris 2024 by winning a silver medal in the R4 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2 event at the New Delhi 2024 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in March.

An elated Johnson, who will be competing in three events at Paris 2024 - the R4 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing SH2, R5 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2 and R9 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH2 - said: "I remember competing at my first Paralympic Games alongside Paralympian #54 Colin Willis MNZM, who was competing in his fifth Paralympic Games, and thinking there was no way I'd still be competing 20 years later. So to be selected for my sixth Paralympic Games is a great milestone and proves that age is no barrier as long as you continue to perform well.

Joining Johnson in the New Zealand Paralympic Team for Paris 2024 is Paralympian number 204 Greg Reid, who has been selected for his second Paralympic Games in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 event.

The 62-year-old from Featherston in the Wairarapa made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 and secured a place for New Zealand in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 event at the New Delhi World Cup in March.

Reid, who also works as a mass metrologist at the Measurement Standards Laboratory in Lower Hutt, said: "It's a huge relief to be selected and I'm really looking forward to giving the Paralympics another go. I wasn't ready to go to Tokyo (for the 2020 Paralympic Games) because of COVID-19 and I was wondering how many years I had left, so I'm very proud".

Rounding out the team is Neelam O'Neill, who will have the honour of being the first woman to represent New Zealand in Para shooting in 40 years, and the first Kiwi to compete in a pistol event in Paralympic history.

O'Neill, who was born in Whangarei and lives in Auckland and started shooting air rifle at the age of seven, said after being selected in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 and P2 Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 events: "I feel very emotional because this is something that I and my wider support team have been working towards for over eight years and to finally represent my country at the Paralympic Games is phenomenal."

O'Neill, 31, who works in customer support for a bank in central Auckland and has spina bifida, added of her selection: "I am overwhelmed to be the first woman in 40 years to make a New Zealand Paralympic team in Para shooting and the first female pistol shooter for New Zealand at a Paralympic Games. My goal is to inspire other women to take up the sport.

Paralympics New Zealand CEO Greg Warnecke added: "We are delighted to have named a three-man Para shooting team for Paris 2024. Huge congratulations to Michael on reaching the phenomenal milestone of his sixth consecutive Paralympic Games, while it is also a huge achievement for Greg to return to the Paralympic arena after an eight year absence. We are also delighted to welcome Neelam on her Paralympic debut. We hope that her presence on the team will help inspire and motivate other women to get involved in the sport."