About a decade ago, Brett Clough started powerlifting “for the hell of it.”
Fast forward to now, and he has captured multiple gold medals at a national level.
Last week, Clough and other participants from the Upper Valley joined more than 3,000 athletes from around the country to compete at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota.
The games, which ran from June 20-26, featured 16 sports ranging from typical track events to cornhole. While there are some exceptions, athletes typically must meet sport-specific performance standards and earn a gold medal at state competitions to qualify for the national games.
State competition gold medalists are randomly selected to compete in the Special Olympics USA Games and can do so as long as they meet certain criteria, such as commitment to their sport, among other requirements.
“Competing at the games was fun,” Clough, a Quechee native who trains at Patriot Fitness 24/7 in West Lebanon, said.
Clough earned three gold medals in the powerlifting disciplines of squat, deadlift and combination, which incorporates squat, deadlift and bench press. He also captured bronze in the bench press.
“It feels really good because I didn’t think I would be at this point because I just started it for the hell of it and just being here is kind of shocking,” Clough said of his progression in the sport.
Clough competes with the Upper Valley Hawks Special Olympics program, which includes athletes who live inside and outside the area.
Sarah Peters, of Hanover, is among those who earned medals on the track at the games. She took silver twice, once in the 800 meter and another in the 5K.
“It was a lot of hard work, but it was great,” she said.
Peters, who used to compete in swimming, took up running track three years ago. While picking up some hardware is nice, she said her favorite part of the games was “getting to know new friends from all over the country.”
Other Hawks from the Upper Valley who competed at the games included Rose Kerrigan, a swimmer, and Lili Leonard-Heath, a tennis player, both of whom are from White River Junction.
Kerrigan earned gold in the 50-yard backstroke and silver in the 100-yard backstroke.
Leonard-Heath earned bronze in the singles round of tennis.
The Claremont Cool Cats, another Special Olympics program, also had some representation at the games.
Christina Tellor, a bocce player from Claremont, earned three medals. She won bronze in singles and silver in the doubles and team events.
Additionally, Peyton Jones, of Claremont, and Emma Davis, of Brattleboro, Vt., competed in swimming and had strong performances.
Jones earned a gold medal in the 100-yard backstroke, while Davis finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and 50-yard backstroke.
For more information about the Upper Valley Hawks and Claremont Cool Cats Special Olympics programs, visit their websites at https://www.sonh.org/local-programs/upper-valley-hawks-7upks/ and https://www.sonh.org/local-programs/claremont-cool-cats-7clts/.
