British · Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland · Born 21 April 1978Paralympic rowing champion who overcame a life-threatening cancerous spinal tumour to win gold in the mixed coxed four at London 2012, becoming one of British Paralympic sport's most inspirational figures.
Born on 21 April 1978 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, David Smith was introduced to adaptive rowing in 2009 through a Paralympic Potential Day run by the British Paralympic Association. He was fast-tracked into Great Britain's mixed coxed four (LTAMix4+) squad and won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Poznan in his debut season. In 2010, Smith's career was interrupted when he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour on his spinal cord. Surgery to remove it required taking out three vertebrae and rebuilding his spine with screws and metal cages, and he nearly died when a blood clot formed at the surgical site, forcing an emergency second operation. Remarkably, Smith returned to the water and helped Great Britain's LTAMix4+ crew win gold at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Lake Bled, securing the boat's qualification for the London 2012 Paralympics. There, alongside Naomi Riches, Pam Relph, James Roe and cox Lily van den Broecke, he won Paralympic gold at Eton Dorney. He was appointed MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to rowing. In 2014, Smith switched sports, joining British Cycling's Paralympic Academy in pursuit of a place at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. However, his cancer returned on four further occasions, and in January 2016 he announced that another operation would prevent him from competing at Rio, bringing his competitive career to a close. His openness about facing cancer and life-changing surgery while competing at the highest level has made him one of British parasport's most influential advocates.
Paralympic gold in mixed coxed four at London 2012 after overcoming a spinal tumour
Career Honours
- Paralympic Gold Medal – Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+), London 2012
- World Rowing Championships Gold Medal – Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+), Lake Bled 2011
- World Rowing Championships Gold Medal – Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+), Poznan 2009
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), 2013 New Year Honours
British Athletes