CLERMONT, Fla. — Team Florida returned home after a successful showing at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, securing an impressive 73 medals.
The state’s delegation, comprising about 200 athletes, Unified partners, coaches, and staff members, earned 23 gold, 28 silver, and 22 bronze medals.
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games gathered more than 3,000 athletes from across the nation to compete in 16 different sports.
Central Region athletes delivered compelling performances during the Games. Cruzen Harrington, an athlete with the OCA Eagles soccer team, and Unified partner Trae Steele were chosen to help declare the USA Games open. Their team later earned a silver medal following a shootout.
The volleyball team, competing in their second USA Games together, went undefeated from divisioning through the finals. The team, who have played together for 15 years since their high school days, secured a gold medal in one of the Games’ most intense volleyball matches.
In pickleball, athlete Lindsay Ximanies and Unified partner Marsha Ximanies, a mother-daughter doubles team, won a silver medal together.
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