David Wagner

Started: He took up the sport in 1999 in Portland, OR, United States of America. (davidwagner.us, 01 Jan 2021; latimes.com, 04 May 2021; teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2021) Reason: "While doing my rehab, I learned about Para sports, and I started with table tennis. My buddies would come up, and we would play table tennis in the rehabilitation hospital, and what I really enjoyed about it was that it was something I could do with my non-disabled friends. So they did not have to be in a wheelchair to play against me, and I could be sitting in my chair while they are standing up. Then one time, I saw an ad for a wheelchair tennis clinic in the Portland, Oregon area, and I thought that sounded great. So I went down there and learned about wheelchair tennis, struck my first ball out of the wheelchair, and fell in love with the sport." (spectrumnews1.com, 20 May 2021) Ambition: To compete at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. (davidwagner.us, 01 Jan 2021; latimes.com, 04 May 2021) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he became the second wheelchair tennis player to represent the United States of America at five editions of the Paralympic Games, after Stephen Welch who achieved the feat between 1996 and 2012. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Jun 2024) At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he and doubles partner Nick Taylor became the first wheelchair tennis players representing the United States of America to win three Paralympic gold medals when they triumphed in the quad doubles competition for the third consecutive Games. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Jun 2024) Awards: He and quad doubles partner Nick Taylor were named the 2011/12 Paralympic Team of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee [USOC]. (teamusa.org, 17 Sep 2012) Additional Info: RETURN TO CLAY Ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, he spoke about his excitement to compete on the clay courts at Roland Garros. "It's really cool that we're back on red clay for the first time since Barcelona [1992 Paralympic Games]. But the cool part for us is that the ball is a lot slower on red clay and bounces higher. [The surface] really impacts the ball and the play, but our push [of the chair] isn't impacted as much. So, a slower ball with a regular, fast push, it makes for longer rallies. And it makes for more gets, more exciting tennis." (olympics.com, 31 May 2024) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has been involved in wheelchair tennis clinics for children in Irvine, CA, United States of America. "It's not about these kids, every single one of them, making the Paralympics or winning a gold medal. It's about how many of them get to go play tennis with their brother, and instead of being the disabled kid who's just keeping score, they're the disabled child who's playing. They're the athlete with a disability as opposed to the disabled scorekeeper. We put athlete first, disability second, and these kids have an opportunity to feel that way. And that's such a great thing." (latimes.com, 04 May 2021)