New Zealand’s first elite para-triathlete will feature as the ambassador for the Mitre 10 Mega Challenge Wanaka Adaptive 2022.

Challenge Wānaka race director Bill Roxburgh said Shaz Dagg - who took up triathlon after losing her left arm above the elbow during a farming accident in 2016 - was the perfect ambassador for the adaptive event.

Shaz has defeated the odds following her accident, going on to win silver medals at both the Paratriathlon World Cup and Oceania Championships.

She was also the first female amputee to complete Coast to Coast, New Zealand’s toughest multisport competition. 

The Adaptive event will return for the third time on February 16, 2023. PHOTO: Sean Beale

“Our event has been very para friendly for many years and our aim is to grow our adaptive offering,” Bill said. 

“Having Shaz on board will hopefully inspire lots of budding adaptive athletes from across the country to have the confidence to come and take part.”

Challenge Wānaka’s adaptive event will kick off the triathlon festival on February 16 next year.

The event - taking place for the third time - is open to anyone over 10 years old, with an impairment (either intellectual or physical) with the course being customised in accordance with participants.

Shaz said it was a privilege to be named ambassador for the event and said she hoped she could inspire others.

Her sporting achievements post-accident have been “life changing,” Shaz said.

“I hope that others like myself, who have some form of challenges in their daily life, will take up this challenge and give this incredible opportunity a go,” Shaz said. 

Find more information on the Mitre 10 Mega Challenge Wanaka Adaptive here.

Details about other events taking place as part of Challenge Wānaka 2023 can be found here.