Southern Maryland Celebrates As Team Maryland Returns Home With 31 Medals From Special Olympics USA Games

LA PLATA, Md. — From cookie fundraisers and send-off celebrations to airport welcomes, Southern Maryland had plenty of reasons to celebrate this week as Team Maryland returned from the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games with 31 medals, including nine gold medals.

Among those welcomed home was Timothy “Tim” Gowen, a Charles County resident and longtime Special Olympics Maryland athlete, whose journey to the national competition became a community effort months before the opening ceremonies in Minnesota. Earlier this year, Chick-fil-A restaurants across Charles County partnered with local supporters to raise money for Gowen through a Chocolate Chunk Cookie fundraiser, helping send him to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.

At 77, Gowen was Team Maryland’s oldest athlete and brought with him a Special Olympics journey spanning nearly six decades. He won his first gold medal in swimming in the backyard pool of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver before the inaugural Special Olympics Games were held in 1968. Now competing in bowling, Gowen also serves as an athlete leader, Global Messenger, Athlete Council member and fitness captain, helping inspire others while continuing to pursue his own goals through Special Olympics Maryland.

Gowen was not the only Southern Maryland representative at the Games. St. Mary’s County residents Don Bewick and Wil Ridley coached Team Maryland’s Unified Basketball team, while Scott Mewhinney served as an assistant coach for the swimming team. Together, the athletes and coaches helped represent Maryland during one of the nation’s largest sporting events for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Now, after competing on the national stage, Gowen returned alongside teammates who collectively earned 31 medals while representing Maryland in athletics, unified basketball, bocce, bowling, soccer and swimming.

Supporters gathered at the airport to greet the delegation with cheers, balloons and congratulations as athletes reunited with family members following nearly a week of competition.

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games brought together approximately 3,000 athletes from across the country to compete in 16 Olympic-type sports while showcasing the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Official Team Maryland results show the delegation earned 31 medals — nine gold, 15 silver and seven bronze — during the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. A complete athlete-by-athlete list of medal winners and event placements has not yet been released by Special Olympics Maryland.

For many in Southern Maryland, however, the celebration extends well beyond the medal podium.

Learn more about Special Olympics Maryland, including how to become an athlete, volunteer, coach or supporter, at Special Olympics Maryland.

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