Serving Up Excitement
It was truly inspiring to meet Matthew Britz, a rising star making a real impact in the world of Paralympic table tennis. Competing at the Paralympics for the first time, Matthew is ready to represent New Zealand with precision and determination. As he gears up to take on the world’s best with his quick reflexes and powerful smashes in Paris, we hope the Halberg Community will rally behind him. Let’s cheer on Matthew as he competes on the grand stage at the Paris Paralympics 2024! Discover more about his table tennis journey and passion as you read on.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO BEING SELECTED FOR THE PARIS PARALYMPICS 2024?
My journey to being selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympics has been an amazing continuous ride, from the small age of 8 years old dreaming of competing against the best in the world to the awesome adventures of training camps and tournaments around the world and meeting amazing people along the way, to now the opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages of them all, I truly feel like I’m living my dream every day.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU WERE SELECTED TO REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY IN THE PARALYMPICS?
The best way I could describe my emotions of my selection is like a little child getting their favourite present that they’ve been asking for what always feels like forever, just pure joy and excitement.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY TO COMPETE IN THE PARALYMPICS?
This opportunity means a lot to me because I hope to inspire those that also want to follow their dreams and passions and allow my story to be an example of achieving what you want to be possible and more.
WHAT DREW YOU TO TABLE TENNIS INITIALLY, WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU WANTED TO PURSUE IT AT A COMPETITIVE LEVEL?
The thing that drew me to table tennis was the crazy number of ways to play it, it’s a mixture of mind and body, you don’t need to be 100% smart to win and you don’t need to be 100% to win either. It’s a mixture of tactics and knowledge of the sport alongside the strength and balance that is also needed to play. My pursue to being competitive in table tennis was the same as any other sport I played, I wanted to be the best at it but my level of competitiveness grew over the years from wanting to be competitive in my local club, to the national and international competitions I compete in today.
HOW DID ATTENDING THE HALBERG GAMES INFLUENCE YOUR PATHWAY?
The Halberg Games influenced me by showing all the different sports and challenges of other people who are also striving to achieve their goals and dreams within sport and in turn also gave me that driving force to believe that if these people can do it I can do it too. Competing against fellow Para Athletes in their own sport showed me the beauty of sport and the connection it can bring to those around us.
WHAT DOES INCLUSION MEAN TO YOU?
What inclusion means to me is bringing together those of any background, shapes and sizes and not just in sport but in anything. When you watch any Para Sport or event you can see the different in each and every one of us and yet it doesn’t stop us or hold us back from pushing ourselves and accomplish our goals. The biggest reason for that is inclusion, the people around us who have simply said ‘hey would you like to play with us?’ or ‘come on just give it a try?’ is what I think inclusion is.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN PREPARING FOR THE PARALYMPICS, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY?
Preparing for the Paralympics has been two things, training and believing. Honing my skills and techniques as well as preparing my body has been the biggest thing for me to work on physically, while mentally I’ve been working on believing in myself the same way I’ve done for every tournament I’ve competed in up to this point and to remind myself that at the end of the day it is just another tournament so I must just go out there and do my best.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY OF TRAINING FOR YOU?
A typical day of training for me would be 4 hours a day and this can vary between training on the table or going to the gym or even just watch video analysis of myself or of my future and past opponents.
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN A MEDAL AY THE PARALYMPICS?
Winning a medal at the Paralympics would be the icing on the cake, also seeing the New Zealand flag being raised high for the sport I love would really be something special.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG ATHLETES WHO ASPIRE TO COMPETE IN THE PARALYMPICS SOMEDAY?
Believe in yourself and don’t worry about the people that say no to you, trust the process and fight for every opportunity.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE A BIG COMPETITION?
My ritual before a big tournament I would have to say is listening to music and having alone time to myself.
HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE YOUR VICTORIES AND HANDLE YOUR LOSSES?
I celebrate most of my victories by getting take-out (KFC in particular) and handle my losses by using what I’ve learnt from it to focus on during training.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AT THE PARIS PARALYMPICS?
To be honest I haven’t really thought about it mainly because I don’t know what to expect but spending time with my family and being around all the great athletes and coaches from around the world will be a very cool experience for me.
To stay updated on both Matthew Britz and the New Zealand Paralympics team, click the link here to view the schedule for the Paris Paralympics.
