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Lindsay Davis of Crestwood
celebrates her comeback victory
in the 50-meter breaststroke. |
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After giving the Special Olympics athletes, coaches an volunteers inside Hilton Coliseum a mission to go home and continue the 2006 Special Olympics USA National Games theme to "Compete, Empower, Unite" Special Olympics North America Managing Director Bob Gobrecht officially closed the inaugural Special Olympics USA National Games. Gobrecht concluded a closing ceremony that included performances by country music star Jo Dee Messina and grammy-nominated gospel artist and Kentucky native Larnelle Harris, as well as appearances by Arizona Cardinal quarterback and Iowa native Kurt Warner and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.
The Closing Ceremony didn't come before Special Olympics Kentucky athletes got to make one more medal run at these Games.
See Photos from Today's Action
Basketball
A difficult two days ended with a silver medal today for the Owensboro basketball players who represented Team Kentucky at the 2006 Special Olympics USA National Games. Fighting off the after effects of a virus that ran through the team the last two days, Kentucky just couldn’t get its offense started after falling behind 10-0 and fell in the gold medal game to Massachusetts by a score of 29-13.
Kentucky had chances in the second half, getting as close as six points, but couldn’t get on a good enough roll to overtake the Massachusetts team.
Starting point guard Dustin Smith returned to action after missing the semifinal game due to illness and led Kentucky with six points, but it was clear he didn’t have the same energy as he had in leading Kentucky to an undefeated record in the pool play portion of the tournament.
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Team Kentucky celebrates their bronze
medal at the softball venue . |
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Softball
The Lexington softball team that is representing Kentucky at the 2006 Special Olympics USA National Games recovered from a heartbreaking defeat yesterday in the semifinals to claim the bronze medal today in their division of the competition.
Just as they had the day before, Kentucky took an early lead in the bronze medal game, but this time continued the pressure, running away from Arkansas by a score of 16-4.
Swimming
The last race of the swimming competition at the Special Olympics USA National Games for Team Kentucky turned out to be one of the most thrilling as Crestwood’s Lindsay Davis made a miraculous comeback to claim the gold medal in her heat of the 50-yard breaststroke.
Davis took an early lead in the race and led at the halfway point, but Megan Vanderberg of Florida came charging back and led with less than two meters to go. Davis stretched at the finish to narrowly out-touch Vanderberg by fifteen hundredths of a second to take the gold.
t was the third medal and the second gold for Davis at the Games. She also took gold in the 4x25-yard medley relay and silver in the 25-yard breaststroke
Team Kentucky returns to the Atlantic Aviation terminal at 1131 Standiford Avenue as part of the conclusion of the Citation Special Olympics airlift tomorrow. The first Team Kentucky plane will touch down at approximately 1:13 pm.
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