Local athletes shine at Special Olympics Te Awamutu meet, qualify for 2025 nationals

Hamilton City Cadet Unit members enjoy time with Special Olympics Te Awamutu athletes after the Tier 2 October swim meet at Livingstone Aquatic Centre.

Special Olympics Te Awamutu recently hosted its Tier 2 swim meet to qualify for the Christchurch-based Special Olympics 2025 nationals.

Local athletes Jennifer Clark, Keziah Clark, Peter Crawford, Jarrod Gilbert, Sarah Griffin, Sarah-Jane Hudson, Aimee McLachlan, Robert Millow, David Smith, Matthew Smith, Caitlin Thomas, Robert van der Wee, Deshan Walallavita and Ella Yarndley, were part of the overall 114 athletes from 14 North Island clubs that attended.

“It was a big event. It was really cool, it was a very successful meet according to a lot of people,” Special Olympics Te Awamutu co-founder and swimming head coach Shelley Blair said.

“Many beat their entry time in the heats and beat their heat time in the final. They may not have got a placing but I’m pretty big on timings, personal bests.”

The local athletes thought it was great to have a home meet.

“The chest puffs out because they’ve got so many people that have come in to watch them – family, friends, whatever the case may be. Being at home is quite a big deal for them.”

Volunteers prepare for the Special Olympics Tier 2 October swim meet in Te Awamutu.

Loyal Special Olympics Te Awamutu member Deshan Walallavita has been with the club since its inception in 2008 and is still producing personal bests and great placings.

In his third swim meet, Special Olympics Te Awamutu’s youngest competitor Robert Millow swam well and beat his previous times.

“It was his first two-day meet; he was just great.”

Jarrod Gilbert, who has been selected as a snowboarder in New Zealand’s preliminary squad for the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games, also performed well.

Blair was very thankful to the Hamilton City Cadet Unit for volunteering their time.

“Athletes from the other clubs were asking to get photos with the cadets, and, ‘How do you get your shoes so shiny?’,” Blair said.

“We utilised them through marshalling, timekeeping, runners. We’re fortunate to have had their help for quite some time now. The people that came were just awesome.”

Pak’nSave Te Awamutu and LJ Hooker Te Awamutu helped with presentations and attended the event too.

Many of the Te Awamutu athletes have now qualified for the 2025 nationals.

“It’s just an amazing event where athletes try their best – even if they get fifth or sixth, it’s a fist pump. They’ve tried and they’ve been the best that they can be,” Blair said.

“For the likes of Ian Jones from LJ Hooker; he presented medals last year, he just loves it.”

The crowds gathered to witness the Special Olympics Tier 2 October swim meet in Te Awamutu.

The New Zealand Cadet Forces is a national youth organisation with a military feel, but Hamilton City Cadet Unit commander Captain Dave Evans said they are more than that.

He said the cadets come from all around the Waikato and have different backgrounds, but they are one big whānau.

“Hamilton City Cadet Unit [has] been assisting the Special Olympics for about 10 years, maybe a few more,” Evans said.

“It came about as one of the unit support members works at Enrich Plus and is involved in that support care work.

“Today, we actually parade out of Enrich Plus building in Hamilton and have a really good working relationship.

“The whole weekend of the Special Olympics is about the athletes, and our cadets ensure that the athletes have a great day.”

Other community events the cadets attend are Anzac and Armistice Day Parades at Hamilton, Cambridge and several residential homes, while some cadets recently assisted at the Enrich Plus Ball in Cambridge.

“They were handing out soft drinks, keeping the tables clean and [carrying out] any odd jobs to assist the organisers,” Evans said.

“We recently assisted the McKenzie Centre [for] their 40th anniversary. This involved setting up and taking down, along with [assisting] visitors with car parking. This activity was for under-5-year-olds with disabilities.”

Last weekend the cadets won the National Skills Competition at Waiouru, while their leading cadet Warrant Officer Oliver Evans was recently named Cadet of the Year 2024.

“We are a very busy unit with activities most weekends throughout the year. This includes our and other units’ weekend activities, along with national competitions and courses.”

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.