Team Vermont wins gold, 16 medals at Special Olympics USA Games

Team Vermont closed out the Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis with 16 medals, including a gold medal in unified basketball and multiple individual finishes by named athletes across swimming and track events.

>The 20-athlete delegation competed in swimming, athletics and unified basketball, according to a community announcement, with participants representing Vermont throughout the weeklong competition.

Gold medal performance leads team resultsTeam Vermont earned gold in interscholastic unified basketball with a final matchup against Delaware, highlighting the team’s overall performance at the national event. The victory underscored the collaboration between athletes and unified partners competing together.

Individual athletes earn top finishes

>Several Vermont athletes secured podium placements in individual events during the games.

>Erin Watson won silver in the 100-yard medley, while Colleen Duffy earned silver in the 100-yard freestyle. Hazel Rakowski and Kevin Conger each received silver medals in the 200-meter run.

>Additional results included a sixth-place finish for Finn Schneider in the 100-yard freestyle and a seventh-place finish for Colleen Duffy in the 100-yard medley, according to the announcement.

>The final results and more information on athletes' performances is available at results.specialolympics.org/usa-games-minnesota-2026/delegations/vermont.

>Officials said the athletes and coaching staff demonstrated strong sportsmanship and perseverance throughout the competition, according to the announcement.

>This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

>This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Team Vermont wins gold, 16 medals at Special Olympics USA Games