GB dodgeball star Nathan David from Sway seals World Dodgeball Championships gold in Edmonton, Canada
NEW Forest dodgeball player Nathan David and his Great Britain teammates secured gold at this year’s World Dodgeball Championships.
The 27-year-old, who lives in Sway, also emerged as the tournament’s best player after GB emerged victorious in Edmonton, Canada.
The silver medal went to Austria, while the US finished in third place.
His selection for the world championships came after success with the England team at the European championships in the Netherlands earlier in July when they came second in the men’s and women’s events, and third in the mixed.
David said: “I travelled out to Canada, and was super excited as it was the furthest I had ever travelled.
“In the first match, the star player – a club and England teammate – got injured. Due to his injury, I stepped across and played in his position, taking on the main bulk of responsibility with the calls.”
England started their tournament with pool matches against Italy, Mexico, US, Australia, and France before defeating Sweden in the quarter-final, Canada in the semis and Austria in the final.
David added: “I would say that the USA was certainly a bit of a grudge match. The USA wanted to prove a point to us, and we wanted to assert our dominance over them; fortunately, we came out on top.
“The Austria match in the final was fun; we’ve become accustomed to them over the years as England, Northern Ireland, and Austria are the dominant sides in European dodgeball.
“In that game, our star player returned from injury and our synergy as a pair was not lost. He won MVP for the final, and I won MVP for the whole tournament.”
David, who made his England debut in 2016, started playing dodgeball during his first week at the University of Winchester before progressing through the ranks.
He then played in the national leagues with Winchester side Wessex Wolves Dodgeball Club before signing for the then-reigning national champions Lutterworth Meteors in 2017, where he still plays.
David thanked sponsors Pennyfarthing Homes, G Farwells Ltd, Mitchell’s Estate Agents, Winkworth Estate Agents, Bashley Plant Centre, KJ Kilford Carpentry and Coastal Bakery Milford – and his parents for their “endless support”.
