Sports at Lunch, Dave Larson
Dave Larson took his place, holding the microphone, before the Sports at Lunch crowd on Oct. 14 at San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum. He was talking about sports and life as so many other sports figures have over the years for the Bob Breitbard-inspired luncheon series.
But Larson didn’t stand before the audience as he described his gold medals and world records. He spoke, proudly, from his wheelchair.
“People are always impressed at how I keep such a good attitude, since I’m in a wheelchair,” Larson said. “I think to myself, ‘What planet are these people living on?’ I don’t focus on what I can’t do. I focus on what I can do.”
Larson, who grew up in an athletic family and attended San Dieguito High, was born with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), which is also called familial spastic paraparesis. The inherited disorder is characterized by prgressive weakness and stiffness of the legs.
But Larson didn’t let his disability prevent him from finding his own niche as one of San Diego’s sports legends and members of the Breitbard Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame at the Hall of Champions.
He won four gold medals with four world records in wheelchair racing in the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona. Four years later he won another gold medal with a world record in the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.
Larson’s disability prevents him walking or running. His body produces a abnormal amounts of protein from the lower spine and creates spasticity. It’s a rare hereditary condition that affects only 2,500 people nationwide.
Larson has devoted much of his time since his successes in wheelchair racing to breaking down stereotypes in disabled sports. He competes and trains with the same dedication and desire of Olympic athletes.
“Competition for physically disabled persons isn’t any different than competition for able-bodied participants,” Larson said. “We’ve got rivals and the same competitive juices to bring home the gold. One of my goals has been to get world records and gold medals. I feel fortunate I’ve been able to do that.”
Larson said he was very active when he was younger.>=
“I was able to run and walk, and I played as many sports as I could,” he said. “I tried basketball, baseball, street hockey, tennis and golf. I loved dodge ball I would go through a pair of shoes once a week, because my legs were so tight I always ran on my toes.”
Larson was looking for ways to release his athletic energy when he discovered wheelchair racing. He was at a track when a Canadian national disabled team was training.
“The Canadian coach suggested I give it a try,” Larson recalled. “I was excited, and I found I was able to keep up with some of the athletes. I remember their coach was mad at at the athletes. They had to tell her they were trying hard, but I was keeping up with them.”
Larson made his first Paralympics team in 1988, which was followed by his success in the Barcelona Paralympics four years later before crowds of 70,000 in the Olympic stadium. Larson won his gold medals in world-record times in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters. His 1996 world record in the 400 was 54.60 seconds.
“I came home with some bling, bling,” Larson said proudly, gold medals dangling from his left hand, holding aloft his prizes for the Sports at Lunch audience to see.
