Today was the final full day of competition, wrapping up all sports aside from athletics. Special Olympics Team Canada athletes were in the stands to cheer on their teammates.
Closing Ceremony will be held tonight at the Brandenburg Gate where 7,000 athletes from 190 countries will celebrate their time at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin.
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SATURDay COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS
- Basketball teams treated fans to two fantastic finales. The men struck gold with a 25-13 win over South Africa and the women will take home silver after a 23-38 match against Mali. Both games featured end-to-end action and strong displays of sportsmanship.
- British Columbia’s Ryan Kealey provided the final flex for the powerlifters. He won a gold and three silvers.
- Swimmers had a terrific last day in the pool. In a highlight, Quebec’s Miori Hénault, Northwest Territories’ Chelsey Makaro, Alberta’s Abby Wilson and British Columbia’s Kelsey Wyse won gold in the relay.
- Bowlers had a strong day to conclude competition on the lanes. This included a gold medal for Saskatchewan’s Ian Cushon.
- British Columbia’s Wayne Gowanlock and Alberta’s Kyle Vogelgesang finished doubles competition with silver.
- Athletics athletes earned bronzes in the 4x100m men’s relay and 4x400m women’s relay.
IN The spotlight
When the final buzzer sounded, William Hall’s emotions came flooding out.
William’s brother Packo had passed away while the team was travelling to Berlin. William was thinking of Packo as the clock ticked down to zero.
“He said I’d look good in gold. So as soon as I knew we won gold, I just let everything loose and started crying.”
William says he is grateful for the support of his basketball teammates.
“They told me I could rely on them, and I did — and they got me through,” William says. “Words can’t express what they mean to me. I could go so may ways about expressing it, and it still wouldn’t add up to how much they mean to me.”
William says the first thing he wanted to do after the game was congratulate the South African squad, “because they fought hard.”
He also wanted to soak in the win alongside his teammates. William says it was a beautiful moment, and he dedicates the victory to Packo.
“It was a dream come true for me. It was a really, really good feeling that without these guys I wouldn’t have been able to experience.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
After scoring the game-winning goal in Canada’s exciting 2-1 win over Special Olympics Bharat in women’s soccer, Alberta’s Eileen Mooney reflected on the moment.
“Being able to win with this team is the most special part. We’re a sisterhood and all of us with our coaches are family,” she said. “It’s a dream come true.”
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