Months of hard work - and many laps in the pool - paid off for Gibsons Stephanie Rogers with a pair of medals from the Special Olympic World Games in Athens, Greece.
The 33-year-old athlete joined with 7,000 other athletes from more than 175 countries, placing it as the largest sporting event in the world for 2011.
Rogers took part in a spectacular opening ceremony held at Panathenaikon Stadium on June 25. She waved to the roaring crowd as the announcer presented Canada and she and her fellow teammates entered the stadium.
The stadium was built from the same marble used for the Parthenon on the Athens Acropolis and was mentioned historically from 330 BC. It was renovated for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has a capacity of 68,000 spectators.
Canada delivered a remarkable week of athletic achievements, winning 124 medals (64 gold, 35 silver and 25 bronze), up from 113 captured at the last Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai.
Special Olympic B.C. athletes brought home a haul of 13 medals (won by individuals and teams) as well as an amazing range of personal-best performances and incredible experiences.
Rogers won two medals, silver for the 25m freestyle and bronze for the 25m backstroke. This is her first trip to a Special Olympic World Games. She is also one of only three athletes in B.C. to bring home two medals. And she is the first Special Olympics athlete to win not only at the national level, but the world level as well.
Screams of "Stephanie, Stephanie" accompanied by waving Canadian flags filled the Oaka Olympic aquatics facility as Rogers was marshaled to the start area for her races.
Calm and confident, she looked up and waved at her family and friends, who are all proud of her amazing achievements.
Congratulations are also in order to the coaching staff, including B.C.'s Heather Young and local coaches Marilyn Adams and Gary Rogers.
July 4 was the colourful and creative closing ceremony, where the Special Olympics flag passed from Greece to Korea, host of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Tim Shriver, Special Olympics "Fan In Chief," hailed all the athletes, coaches and volunteers and sent everyone home with hope in their hearts.
