Fredericton wheelchair basketball star to retire
Dave Durepos says this summer's Paralympic Games will be his last
New Brunswick wheelchair basketball star Dave Durepos is retiring after more than 20 years of playing.
Durepos, of Fredericton, says the Paralympic Games this summer in London will be his fifth — and last — as a player.
He and his wife, Sabrina Pettinicchi, a former member of the Canadian Women's Wheelchair Basketball team, plan to be coaches for the 2015 Canada Games in Prince George.
But Durepos hopes to end his playing career on a high note.
'Ironically, my accident was one of the best things that ever happened to me.' —Dave Durepos, wheelchair basketball player
"It's one more time, well really, the last time at the Paralympics and I want to make it a great experience with that family that I have," he said.
Durepos was a stand-up basketball player until he suffered a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle crash 1988.
He discovered wheelchair sports during his recovery and has played on the national wheelchair basketball men's team since 1994.
During that time, Durepos and Team Canada have taken home two gold medals and a silver.
"Ironically, my accident was one of the best things that ever happened to me," he said.
"I think if I was able-bodied, I don't think there's any way I would have experienced a few gold medals, been all over the world."
The 2012 Paralympics will be held Aug. 29 until Sept. 9.