Bocce coach happy as Jamaica cop gold, silver
ORLANDO, United States — Bocce Head Coach Hugh McDonald was overcome with joy on a day that Jamaica won a gold and two silver medals as day two action came to a close at the Special Olympics USA Games.
Anthoney Williams won gold for Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) in Division S-M09 of the bocce competition after defeating Lenard Davis of Texas 11-5 in their battle for first place at the Coronado Springs Convention Center on Tuesday.
The accomplishment brought an emotion outcome from McDonald after Williams was also heroic in comeback victories on Monday which propelled him into Tuesday’s first-place contest.
“Coach McDonald hugged his athlete and cried after the game was completed,” said Gladstone Sealy, SOJ’s head of delegation to the USA Games.
“He was overwhelmed with tears of joy. Because he knew Anthoney trained very hard and is a disciplined athlete,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
“The team was just over the moon after watching him (Williams) come from nine down in the first match on Monday. To win that 12-9 was a sign of mental toughness and resilience. In the second match he was four down and came back and won that too.
“So after what he did in the final today all the members of the delegation who watched it started treating him like a big star, everybody wanted to take photos with him,” he said.
In bocce, players use an underarm action to bowl a ball at a target with points awarded based on its proximity to the target.
On the track at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Sheneel Williams and Allan Gordon won gold in the respective women’s and men’s 400m events.
Jamaica’s Williams clocked 1:14.82 minutes for second place in Division F06, behind Gretchen Winter of Alaska (1:09.98). Annastasia Maloney of Northern California was third in 1:15.47.
Gordon, who timed 57.25 seconds in Division M07, finished behind winner Ke’shaun Tillman (55.27) of North Carolina. Romano Ritenour (58.24) of Indiana claimed bronze.
Monique Johnson of Special Olympics Jamaica, competing in Division F05 of the 400m, missed out on a medal after running 1:26.49 minutes for fifth. Madison Gaines of District of Columbia won in 1:17.71, ahead of Jasmine Slama of Utah (1:18.42) and third-place Chelsie Workman of Wisconsin 1:23.27.
Kadian Ingleton won gold for Jamaica in 500-yard pool swim on Monday, the country’s first medal at the USA Games.
The Special Olympics movement provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of disciplines for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
— Sanjay Myers