As a kid, Matthew Britz dreamed of becoming an All Black, but now is living out his international sporting ambitions in the table tennis arena and blazing a trail along the way.
Born with Bailey-Bloch congenital myopathy - a health condition that causes impaired muscle power, leg length difference and short stature - Britz, from New Plymouth, has made his mark at table tennis, becoming the first Kiwi in almost half a century to contest the sport at the Paralympics.
With the South Paris Arena rocking around him, Britz, 20, lasted just over half an hour against Thai opponent Chalermpong Punpoo, before succumbing 6-11 12-10 4-11 13-11 5-11.
Far from discouraged, the proud Kiwi was still buzzing long after the final rally.
"That was nervewracking," he told TVNZ. "The crowd here is massive, especially against France… glad I didn’t face the French in my first debut.
The table tennis ace battled to the end against his Thai opponent. (Source: TVNZ)
"Regardless, the atmosphere is amazing, tables are beautiful, players are awesome. This was probably the best experience I’ve ever had table tennis-wise — it was pretty cool."
With hometown favourite Fabien Lamirault playing on a neighbouring table, the partisan Parisian fans turned the venue into a football match, at times stomping and chanting their support, as athletes struggled to keep their concentration mid-rally.
"This is the first time I’ve had a crowd that would start banging at random times, obviously for the other tables," reflected Britz. "This is also the first time that my entire family were here — my parents and my grandparents, my brothers and sisters are all here supporting me.
"This is the first time my grandparents have ever seen me play, so this is a dream come true."
After a shaky start in the opening game, Britz steadied himself to level the contest, but had to fight for his survival in a tense fourth game that went point for point, before finally conceding defeat in the fifth.
"It's not over until the ball is on the ground," he insisted. "That’s all that goes through my head.
"I've had almost 13 years of experience on the table, I've had wins, I've had losses, but regardless of what happens, it's never over until the ball touches the ground. That's always been my mentality, I just never give up."
After breaking the Kiwi absence from Paralympics table tennis, Britz is eager to build on his encouraging performance in the French capital.
"Mentally, I say I have that never-give-up attitude, but all these guys work so hard," he said. "I've had the privilege of facing these guys in international tournaments and I've got to train alongside some of these players.
"The amount of work and effort they put into their training sessions is truly incredible. I know for the next world championships and Paralympics, that's the new mentality I have to have, on and off the court.
"I've always wanted to represent my country and I've made this sport my home. There is where I belong and I’m so happy to represent New Zealand on the bigger stage."
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