Sports stars from Donegal achieved phenomenal success at the Special Olympics National Games last weekend.
Homecomings are being celebrated all across the county this week as athletes bring home medals and top prizes from the Dublin games.
Gold medals were won in Gymnastics and Basketball, with many other podium places earned in other sports.
Meg Carr. Photo via Letterkenny Community Centre
Letterkenny gymnast Meg Carr, competing at Level 1, won Gold in the floor and beam events and picked up a Silver in the vault.
Patrick Quinlivan from Letterkenny achieved four Gold Medals at Level 4 in the disciplines: floor, vault, rings and parallel bars.
Patrick Quinlivan. Photo via Letterkenny Community Centre
Team Ulster Basketball
Letterkenny Basketball player Joe O’Hanlon had the honour of lighting the Special Olympics Flame of Hope at the opening ceremony on Thursday.
O’Hanlon, a member of the North West Special Olympics Club Ulster Mens team, took home a Bronze along with his teammates.
The North West Special Olympics Club had 13 basketball competitors and four football players in this year’s games.
The NWSOC winners list is as follows:
Basketball Team Ulster – Mens Level 1 – Bronze medal
Daniel Cannon
Joe O’Hanlon
Micheal O’Donnell
Michael Barrett
Head Coach: Bill McIntyre
Basketball Team Ulster – Mens 2 – Gold Medal
Leon McDaid
Basketball Team Ulster – Mens 3 – Silver Medal
Shaun McCosker
Ethan Loughrey
Nigel Porter
Brian Crilly
Stephen Dowds
Head Coach: Tommy McCay
Basketball Team Ulster – Ladies 1 – Gold
Vicki McGill
Siobhan McCay
Treasa Barrett
Coach: Nicky McDermott
Team Ulster – North West Special Olympics Club
Football Team Ulster 1 – 4th Place
Chris O’Donnell
Football Team Ulster 2 Bronze Medal
Trevor McGrenra
Head Coach: Pat McLaughlin
Football Team Ulster 3 4th Place
Mark Duffy
Daniel O’Reilly
Coach: Natalie McFadden
Team Ulster Football Team 2
Team Ulster Football – Team 3
Little Angels Special School in Letterkenny had five athletes competing in Dublin.
Paul McFadden, Kyle Glackin and Jamie-Lee McColgan won medals in Football and Ten Pin Bowling
Paul also earned a Special Achievement Award for his enthusiasm and interactivity.
Killian Doogan had success in Target Shooting and Ten Pin Bowling.
Caolan Crawford won a medal in the Hurdle Walk.
Little Angels Special Olympics Athletes
The Little Angels athletes were supported by mentors Liam O’Donnell, John McLaughlin and Kevin Maguire, who are all Special Needs Assistants at the school. The team will be honoured at the school prizegiving tomorrow.
Some 1,600 athletes, 600 coaches and management team and 2,500 volunteers took part in the National Games over the weekend.
The winners of competitions at the Special Olympics Ireland Games have a chance of being selected for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
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