MANITOULIN—Four athletes and two coaches of the Manitoulin Special Olympics team have been chosen to represent Ontario at the 2018 Canada National Summer Games.
The Ontario National Games team will include MSO coach Janet Anning, who will be coaching the Ontario track team, and Sandra Graham, who will be coaching the Ontario baseball team at the National Games being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, next July.
“Our athletes named to the National Games in athletics and softball include Austin Featherstone, Matthew Bedard and Mark Dokum,” said Ms. Anning. “Yuri Clayton will also be taking part in the National Games for Ontario next May in Prince Edward Island, in five pin bowling.”
Mr. Clayton had qualified for the nationals through his success at the Ontario Special Olympic provincial games held in Guelph in 2016, in five pin bowling. The rest of the MSO athletes and coaches qualified for the national games after participating in the Ontario Special Olympic Summer Games held in 2017 in Peel, Ontario.
At the provincial games the MSO athletes brought home 24 medals from the Ontario Summer Games held this past July. They garnered 17 gold medals and six silver medals.
Austin Featherstone brought home four medals; for the 3,000 metre race, 1,500 metre race, 800 metre relay race and the 400 metre relay.
Matthew Bedard brought home gold in the 400 metre relay and silver in the 1,500 metre, 800 metre and 400 metre races in his division.
Mark Dokum, brought home three gold medals at the provincials, the first in his division for the 100 metre race, javelin and the shot put.
