Three athletes from the Goodwill® Gladiators team of Goodwill Columbus (OH) have earned gold medals at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games. The games were held June 14 – 21 in Princeton, NJ.
Amanda Kerze, 35, of Grandview, and sisters Amy and Candice Williams, 32, of Dublin were among 64 Special Olympic athletes chosen to represent Team Ohio.
Kerze participated in a mixed doubles pair with John Conyers of the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities tennis team. The duo took gold in a third-set tie breaker as they defeated Team Virginia to earn the top honor. Kerze also earned a silver medal for her singles performance.
The Williams sisters helped push the state’s women’s basketball team to gold with a final 23-6 win over Team Missouri.
The Special Olympics program at Goodwill Columbus provides sports training and competition opportunities to adult participants with developmental disabilities and other barriers. The Goodwill Columbus Gladiators compete in Special Olympics tournaments at the local, state, regional, national and international levels. Sports include bowling, basketball, track and field, tennis, golf, softball, soccer and flag football.
The 2014 Special Olympics USA Games celebrate the Special Olympics movement while promoting the ideals of acceptance and inclusion through sport and highlighting the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities.