New Zealand sent a team of 13 players and officials to the 2009 Taipei Summer Deaflympics. Michael Lynch won gold for karate, with Kerry Titcombe also obtaining bronze in karate. Karate was a new sport, having had been added in the Deaflympic sports competition program for the first time, along with Judo and Taekwondo. Footage covers their return home with a wee group welcoming them at the Auckland Airport! The following athletes competed at the Taipei Deaflympics:
- Michael Lynch (karate, +84kg division) where he beat a Russian to win gold. His Taipei medal brings his Deaflympic medal tally to a total of three medals from two Deaflympics. He competed in the 1989 Christchurch games and won bronze in both the 100m butterfly and the 200m butterfly.
- Kerry Titcombe (karate, 50-68kg division), where she won bronze. It was Kerry’s second Deaflympics, having participated in Christchurch 1989 in the 1500m event where she came 8th.
- Daniel Carruthers (road cycling). In Taipei 2009, Daniel Carruthers came 6th in the 100m sprint, and 6th in the points race. He later competed at his second Deaflympics in Sofia 2013, 4 years later, where he came 4th in the individual road race, and 8th in the points race.
- Emma Paton (table tennis – singles). She made her debut competing in international level in table tennis, having had only begun playing the sport seriously eight months before.
- Alex Field (swimming, 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m breastroke, 200m breaststroke). The 17-year-old obtained his personal best time of 34.19 seconds in the 50m breasttroke heats. The swimming pool was the furthest location away in all sporting events (2 hours drive away from the Taipei). Together with Alex Field (swimmer) and Gregory Lessing (swimming coach) had to re-locate their accommodation near the pool.
Taipei, the biggest city of Taiwan, was the host of the 21st Summer Deaflympics from 5 September to 15 September 2009. It was the first Summer Deaflympics to be held in Asia. A record was set with 85 countries attending with 4262 athletes and officials. The New Zealanders said it was the greatest Deaflympics they had ever attended.
