Robert Trathen
When Natalie Brunzel’s coach told her to “go to the range and have some fun shooting”, she didn’t think he meant for her to draw hearts on plywood to shoot at. It was all done tongue firmly in cheek, of course.
“Look, sometimes you just have to change things up in your training,” laughs the talented shooting para sport athlete. “The middle was hit perfectly in each of them, and it was extremely fun and cathartic, because otherwise I just spend hours and hours staring at a dot!”
Nailing that target has seen Natalie represent New Zealand on the world stage for the past five years. Her dream – which right now feels “so close” to realising – is to compete at the Paralympic Games in
Paris next year.
Welcoming the Weekly into the shooting range on Auckland’s city fringe, where she trains for 30 hours a week, Natalie’s drive, ambition and determination is immediately evident. The freelance communications executive is currently working several jobs while fundraising non-stop to get herself and her rifle loader Aqeelah Abrahams to two international pre-qualifying events.
“Even though I get support from High Performance Sport New Zealand, the yearly cost to compete is huge,” says Natalie, who is in her thirties.
“For 2023, to compete at both the World Cup and World Championships in order to compete for a spot in Paris at the Paralympics, the cost is around $50,000. I have to fund this myself.
“And never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have the opportunity to represent my country.”
Born with a progressive neuromuscular condition, the inspiring athlete has been in a wheelchair since she was 10.
Natalie aged four.
“I’ve always only been a spectator of sport and never been able to participate because of my physical impairment,” she tells.
“But I loved sport – my family is tennis-crazy! – and I decided that I really needed to find one that I could do.
“I started off playing powerchair soccer and then I was filling out a form that basically said: ‘Please tick another sport that you would try’ and I ticked shooting as a joke… Like, as if I’m ever going to do that!”
That tick proved to be life-changing. In 2016, Natalie picked up the air rifle for the first time and discovered that para shooting was nothing like she expected.
“It was actually more about challenging yourself because you have to be really calm, and control your breathing and your heart rate,” she explains. “You have to learn to perform under pressure. It was everything I wanted to learn how to do.
“And that first time I was in the range, lots of people were wearing New Zealand-representative jackets, and Mum constantly teased me by saying, ‘One day you’ll have one of those and then you’ll know you’ve made it.’
“When I got to be the flag bearer at the world champs in 2019, and won a medal in the Air Rifle Teams event, it was just one of those surreal, emotional moments.”
With fellow medallist and former coach Michael.
Natalie says shooting is a test of accuracy and control, in which competitors fire a series of shots at a stationary target. Each shot is worth a maximum score of 10.9 points.
She competes with the rifle (her new one is nicknamed “Novak” after her favourite tennis player) in the SH2 sports class.
“In my category, I am allowed a loader, who loads my gun. I also have a spring that holds my gun for me because I don’t have arm strength, so I can’t fully hold the weight.
“Shooting has given me a lot more confidence in myself,” reflects Natalie.
“And the great thing about our club is we shoot with non-disabled people, so there’s varying abilities. A lot of our disabled athletes also coach non-disabled people, so it’s really inclusive too.”
One thing that is a constant challenge in shooting para sport, she adds, is the lack of coaches and loaders who are integral to athletes’ success in the sport.
Natalie’s previous coach was paralympian Michael Johnson, who won world titles and back-to-back bronze medals at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympics.
However, she had to look “outside the box” when Michael decided to compete again himself and found herself a new coach – a sniper.
And how, exactly, does one go about finding a sniper?
“I robbed a bank!” she teases with a grin. “No. I started thinking, ‘Who would have the skill level that I need?’ And snipers have just the one shot to hit their target, so they understand accuracy and pressure, and they can obviously shoot. I just started asking around amongst friends.
“Circumstances have since changed and he wasn’t able to commit to coaching me, so I’m back to having no coach, but I will soldier on and do the best I can.
“I’m just proud of myself for giving shooting a go and sticking with it, because it’s been hard,” admits Natalie. “Hopefully, you’ll see me next year in Paris wearing the silver fern and with a medal around my neck.”
To help Natalie fundraise and achieve her dream of competing at the 2023 Paralympics in Paris, visit givealittle.co.nz.
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