A long-time Manhattan resident is headed for the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in August.
Dennis Nelson began javelin throwing as a freshman in high school. Nearly four decades and two major injuries later, he will represent Team USA for the event in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Nelson will be competing alongside more than 8,000 athletes from 111 countries. He is seated at number 8 out of the 40 athletes in the 50-54 age group.
Nelson’s path to the championship has never been painless. Shortly after winning the class 1A state championship during his junior year at Westmoreland High School, he suffered a severe injury to the arm.
“I threw too hard and I injured my elbow,” Nelson said. “But I was very determined to win the state title again my senior year. If I had to throw my arm out there, I had to throw my arm out there. I asked the doctors if they could put me back together if I really damaged something and they said yes, so I risked it.”
His risk paid off. In 1991, Nelson won the class 1A state championship for the second time. He went on to attend Cloud Community College and then Kansas State University, where he became a Big 8 champion his junior year. Since college, he has competed in the Sunflower State Games on and off and shown the ropes of javelin throwing to his two children.
Aside from his personal athletic journey, Nelson owns 2 Wire Electric in Manhattan and coaches baseball, softball and volleyball for local clubs. During a particularly competitive practice while coaching Konza Club Volleyball in 2012, he suffered significant trauma to the knee.
Nelson said he initially decided to “muscle through” the injury.
“It had to be a ‘no pain, no gain’ situation,” Nelson said.
Against all odds, Nelson continued throwing and competed in the State Games of America in 2022. After the competition he discovered he was ranked 19th in the world for javelin throwing, which he said inspired him to get serious about recovery.
“When I knew I was that close I wanted to put more effort in,” Nelson said. “My goal was to be number one in the United States for my age group. I said, I’ve got to get my knee fixed.”
A consultation with an orthopedic surgeon revealed that Nelson’s injury had progressed even farther than he realized.
“[The surgeon] told me ‘we’ve definitely got to fix your ACL, because it isn’t there,’” Nelson said. “He said that what happened during my trauma was that my body created enzymes and they ate that ligament away. So I had no ACL when I threw at the State Games.”
Nelson underwent a reconstruction surgery for his leg in February 2023 and immediately began rehabilitation.
“I had the surgery on Friday, came home Sunday and that Tuesday I was down at Maximum Performance Fitness,” Nelson said.
Nearly a year and a half after his surgery, Nelson said his leg is at 90% functionality. He has kept close track of his progress and met all of his recovery goals. He said the challenges he has faced make heading to the World Masters all the more exciting.
“I think I played all my cards right,” Nelson said.
The World Masters Athletics Championships will take place August 13 through August 25.
