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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — It was a Friday evening just before dusk when David Blair headed down the street to the local park for his second workout of the day.
He sat on a park bench, untied his red Nike training shoes, and switched them out for a pair made specifically for what he would be practicing this night. This pair of shoes was made with smooth rubber soles that let him spin easily on the pavement yet gave him enough grip to stop sharply to allow his body to remain steady as he threw with full force a 4-pound discus far out into the grass field ahead of him.
There was something different about those shoes, however. One is smaller than the other, fitting over his club foot that he's had since birth — a deformity that doctors said would keep him from walking.
Yet, decades later, Blair is preparing to compete for the United States as a Paralympic discus thrower.
As a child, Blair underwent many surgeries and endured countless hours of physical therapy, not to correct his condition, but to make mobility possible. That mobility manifested itself in the form of many athletic endeavors that he excelled in.
It was in high school, however, that Blair found his niche in the field events, particularly the hammer throw and discus. He went on to win a high school state championship against able-bodied athletes, eventually earning an athletic scholarship to Weber State University, where he set several school records and earned two conference titles in hammer and weight throwing.
As with many collegiate athletes, after that final meet, he put away his gear to move on to other things. He got married, had four daughters, and got a job as a database programmer.
Life was good for Blair, but he felt like he still had something left to give as a competitive athlete. His desires were fueled even more when he watched runners in the 2012 Paralympics compete with the aid of blades.
“As I sat there and watched these runners, I thought, ‘They've got more mobility with those on than I do with my foot,’” he said. “It got me wondering if I would be eligible to compete as a Paralympic athlete. “
“As I sat there and watched these runners, I thought, ‘They've got more mobility with those on than I do with my foot.' It got me wondering if I would be eligible to compete as a Paralympic athlete. “ — David Blair
In the spring of 2015, Blair found out that he was Paralympic-eligible, and began training. Although it had been 16 years since his last competition, the 40-year-old ended up throwing nearly 55 meters in his first time back.
By the end of the 2015 season, Blair had earned a silver medal at the 2015 world championships in Doha, Qatar. Then in May 2016, he threw 63.61 meters, breaking a 4-year-old world record by 15 centimeters, solidifying his spot as a contender for gold at the upcoming Paralympics in Rio.
Blair said that he is grateful for the opportunity to continue to compete, but more for his family who has supported him.
And while his family will not be traveling to the Games with him, he knows they will be cheering him on at home. And he hopes to bring home gold.
Blair will compete in the discus in the F44 category (for people with a lower limb impairment) on Friday, Sept. 16. The games will be aired on NBCSN, and live at dailymotion.com.
