Dave was a top New Zealand basketballer, the first kiwi to play in the Australian National League and received a scholarship to play in the USA. After his accident, David returned to New Zealand and started to coach basketball while competing in Para athletics, particularly Pentathlon. Dave qualified to compete to the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games, but his preferred event got cancelled only 6 weeks before the start of the competition and he was offered to compete in Javelin instead. He competed at 3 further Paralympic Games: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 where he won a silver and a gold medal in Javelin, as well as a gold medal in Pentathlon. Dave now works as Senior Sports Adviser for the Halberg Foundation.
Dave officially received his ‘numbered’ Paralympic pin as part of The Celebration Project in Tauranga in July 2019.
