McNicholl was born on 30 December 1951 in Christchurch, New Zealand,[2] and became a paraplegic after contracting polio at the age of eleven months.

At the same games McNicholl competed in the 100 m race, and placed fourth in both shot put and the lightweight weightlifting event.

[5][6][7] After moving to Australia in 1978,[4] he represented the country at five Paralympics and won three bronze, another silver and a gold medal, all in weightlifting and powerlifting.

[11][13] In 1995, he competed at the European Weightlifting Championships in Strasbourg, France, and won a gold medal with a lift of 200 kilograms (440 lb).

[5] Despite being ranked second in the world in 1999, McNicholl retired from competitive lifting a few months before the 2000 Sydney Paralympics due to injury.