Special Olympics Hawkes Bay athletes celebrate success with 30 medals after five days of competition in Christchurch.
Special Olympics Hawkes Bay athletes celebrate success with 30 medals after five days of competition in Christchurch.
Hawke’s Bay athletes are returning home from the Special Olympic National Summer Games in Christchurch with a total of 30 medals across six sports, after five days of competition that brought together more than 1200 athletes from across New Zealand.
The Hawke’s Bay team, made up of 50 athletes, collected11 gold, 11 silver and eight bronze medals, with success coming in every sport they entered, including bocce, golf, powerlifting, football, swimming and ten-pin bowling.
Among the standout results were ten-pin bowlers Michael Donovan and Corbyn Stephenson, who claimed gold in both Division 1 Doubles and Division 1 Teams, competing in the top division for athletes with the highest entering averages, alongside Richard Peacock and Francesca Morgan.
Corbyn Stephenson (left) and Michael Donovan won gold in Division 1 Doubles and Teams bowling.
Team manager Anne Donovan said success was measured in more than medals.
“Our team has been successful in many ways, not only in the medal stakes with just about everyone having medalled, but also in having a great time and being so proud of each other,” she says.
“Our many new athletes and volunteers at this Games have really stepped up, while the experienced ones have been supporting and mentoring them.”
Hawke’s Bay swimmer Nicola Hartigan, who has had a brain injury since birth, said the Games were a highlight after four years of hard training and fundraising.
“This was my sixth National Summer Games, and I felt really good, it’s really good for the brain,” she said.
“Nicola is a very independent young woman, she lives a full life including being the master candlemaker at Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay, where ‘every life fully lived’ is the organisation’s motto.”
Hawke's Bay swimmer Nicola Hartigan at the Summer Games in Christchurch.
Special Olympics New Zealand chief executive Fran Scholey says this year’s event set a new benchmark, supported by nearly 1000 volunteers and hundreds of health professionals.
Through the Healthy Athletes Programme, competitors received free screenings for eyesight, hearing, dental health, footwear and general wellbeing, with about 300 pairs of glasses issued during the week.
“It is a core aspect of each National Summer Games, because many of our athletes often don’t complain if they can’t see or not hear properly,” Scholey says.
The Summer Games wrapped up with the traditional closing ceremony disco on Sunday night.
