Karate Teacher Expands to Para-Sport Table Tennis

John Marrable is a 6th dan black belt karate teacher who happens to be in a wheelchair. While John seems at a disadvantage in his chair, Lee Hart, one of his pupils and sparring partners, says you underestimate John’s physical and mental toughness at your peril. A childhood accident in Scotland saw John sent to Stoke Mandeville Hospital. It was here, under Dr Ludwig Guttmann - who started the Paralympic movement - that he was encouraged to stay as active as possible. John has now competed in a multitude of sports. He was the first person in New Zealand to do a marathon in a wheelchair, is a karate expert, skis, scuba dives and swims. Now, at 65, John is aiming to represent New Zealand in para-sport table tennis at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022.   / attitudepictures