VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese athletes Ngo Huu Ky Phong and Le Thanh Cong both won gold medals at the Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011, which drew to a close in Greece on Monday.

Victor: Le Thanh Cong with his gold medal, which he won in the bocce event at the Athens Special Olympics. — File Photo
The 18-year-old Phong from Thua Thien-Hue Province, won gold in the men's 50m race with a time of 10.34sec, followed by Mekan Ashirow from Turkmenistan and Nikolaos Georgodimos from Greece.

HCM City-based Cong won gold in the men's singles bocce event, beating Eduard Gaciun from Romania in the final match, Padraig Westgate from the US taking the bronze medal.

Apart from two gold medals, Viet Nam also managed to pocket a bronze medal, Ho Thi Thuy Linh, from Thua Thien-Hue, finishing the women's 25m race in 6.09sec, just behind Genesis Bruges from Dutch Aruba and Fadia Hassan from Trinidad and Tobago.

The Special Olympics is a non-profit event officially founded in 1968. It aims to provide a stage for adults and children with mental disabilities to take part in various sports activities.

The first Games took place in Illinois, the US, in 1970 with 1,000 participating athletes from 26 US and Canadian states.

To date, the Special Olympics has evolved into a global movement, offering 3.1 million athletes with mental disabilities a chance to discover their special talents at both summer and winter events.

This year's Olympics has drawn around 7,500 athletes from 185 countries to competed in 21 Olympic-type sports.


 Pakistan athletes enjoy successful Special Olympics

The Pakistan squad returned home yesterday after a successful run at the Special Olympics Summer Games 2011, bagging 17 gold, 25 silver and 14 bronze medals.

The 82-member contingent participated in athletics, aquatics, badminton, basketball, bocce, cycling, football and table tennis.

According to delegation head Ronak Lakhani, while it was important that the country secured 56 medals, Pakistan's main aim was to encourage all of its athletes and ensure that each member of the squad was treated like a winner.

Adeel Ameer, 18, won the 100m sprint, high jump and 4×100m relay events to become the most successful athlete in the squad while 11-year-old Bakhtawar Gul secured two gold medals in the 100m sprint and long jump events as well as a silver medal in the 4×100m relay.

"We have been preparing our athletes for the past two years, running a special training camp four months prior to the Olympic Games, which has paid off extremely well," coach Javad Arshad said. — Express Tribune/VNS


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