Big wins for four Special Olympics athletes from New Brunswick, who recently returned from the World Summer Games in Berlin.

Bowler Shannon Doiron brought home a gold medal, Swimmer Jesse Canney received three gold medals, Patti Connors won a bronze medal for athletics and Gofer Derrick Wiseman received a bronze.

It was the first time ever that a New Brunswick Special Olympics athlete competed in a golf event at the World Summer Games.

Youth Coordinator Kate Maston says they rolled out the red carpet for the athletes on Tuesday when their plane arrived.

“Not only was it amazing for all four of them to go, but to come back with a medal, they said that made it even more exciting, ” Maston says.

She adds,  the athletes also enjoyed the culture and friendships made in Berlin.

The athletes are expected to take a short break after the competition, but they’ll be back training in the near future.

Maston says most of them are also winter athletes, “Some of them will gear up for the winter season which will begin in October or November. Otherwise, they’ll just continue with their summer sports.”

The 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in Perth, Australia.

If you are interested in volunteering with Special Olympics NB or potentially becoming an athlete, you can visit the Special Olympics New Brunswick website.