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 results

Team 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