BERLIN, Germany — Though it came in unconventional fashion, Kirk Wint’s 50m gold medal win at the Special Olympics World Games was a long time coming and one that he and the Jamaican camp wholeheartedly cherish.

The Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) track and field athlete has been a star at the World Games since he burst onto the scene at the 2015 edition in the United States as a free-spirited 13-year-old.

In the USA, he was a close fourth in the 50m dash, then won gold in the soft ball throw. At the 2019 World Games in the United Arab Emirates he won silver in the 50m and bronze in the throw.

The 21-year-old Wint, who is unable to walk on his feet due to disability in his lower limbs, has powerful shoulders and arms which allow him to bound down the track on all fours at an incredible clip.

His unwavering enthusiasm and resilience were on full display at Olympiapark in Berlin on Thursday when he clocked 15.51 seconds to finish behind John Capelle (14.33) of SO Marshall Islands and Omer Al Jumaili (14.42) of SO Iraq in the men’s 50m (Level C, Division R2) event.

However, soon after the race, the top two were declared disqualified for clocking times outside of the range allowed for that category. Wint’s third place was upgraded to first and the gold medal void in the 50m race was finally filled.

“Yeah, man, mi feel good,” was the brief comment from Wint, accompanied by his trademark, ear-to-ear grin.

The lead-up to his final race heroics was not drama-free, but due to the support that his bravery just simply demands, he came out shinier on the other side.

His eyeglasses, which he faithfully relies on, were irreparably damaged during qualification at Olympiapark. In came Dr Stefan Schwarz, of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programme in Germany, to provide Wint with new frames.

Wint had his eyes tested and, before he leaves Germany, is to receive new lenses and an additional pair of glasses specially designed for sport activities.

Though his gold medal wasn’t Jamaica’s first at the Berlin 2023 Games — and likely won’t be the last — Lori Scott-Moore, the track and field assistant coach, admitted it was particularly exceptional.

“There are no words to truly express how I feel about this win for Kirk. Seeing that he has been working for this medal from the last two World Games, and has finally got it, makes me feel so emotional,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“This win is very special and emotional for the athletics team at the World Games. The whole Jamaican delegation is so happy for him. In addition, it was amazing to see the number of people who made sure to congratulate him and share a photo moment with him,” Scott-Moore said.

Through sport activities and competition, the Special Olympics International movement aims to break down barriers that exclude people with intellectual disabilities, such as autism and Down’s syndrome, from mainstream society.

The disabilities can either be acquired or genetic and can also include cases of cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and some cases of developmental delay.