Kailua-Kona’s Isaiah Wong will represent Hawaii on the powerlifting circuit at the Special Olympics’ 2015 World Games in Los Angeles.
Wong, a six-year veteran of Special Olympics West Hawaii, was selected to be a member of Special Olympics USA’s powerlifting team for the games, which get underway in late July, Special Olympics Hawaii announced Tuesday. The 22-year-old athlete, in addition to powerlifting, competes in basketball, bocce, bowling, soccer and softball.
In his free time, Wong enjoys running 5Ks with his powerlifting coach. He also regularly volunteers at Hawaii Island Humane Society and Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii, where he feeds and brushes horses each Friday.
On Saturday, he completed the Visitor Industry Charity Fun Run, finishing in 27 minutes, 53 seconds and placing 79th out of more than 200.
Wong will be joined by another resident of Kailua-Kona, Special Olympics West Hawaii Area Director Denise Lindsey, who is also a long-time Special Olympics coach. Lindsey will help coach the USA powerlifting team in its trek for victory.
“He could go into any sport and excel like a professional,” Denise said of Wong, whom she coaches. “If he had a great coach in each sport and he entered, the sky’s the limit for him whether it be basketball, track and field, baseball, bowling — OMG he’s just the ideal perfect athlete.”
In addition to Wong, two other Special Olympics Hawaii athletes will be traveling to the games to represent not only Hawaii, but the United States. The athletes will be joined by two other Special Olympics Hawaii representatives, in addition to Lindsey, who will help lead Special Olympics USA as coaches and members of the management team, as well as Officer Patricia Doronilla, the current Torch Run director and longtime supporter of Special Olympics Hawaii
Chaunci Cummings has been selected to the athletics (track and field) team. A native of Kapaa, Kauai, Cumming has participated in Special Olympics for three years.
Ikaika Morita-Sunada will compete as a member of the aquatics team. A resident of Kaneohe, Oahu, Morita-Sunada has been involved with Special Olympics for 18 years.
Wong, Cummings and Morita-Sunada will be among the Special Olympics USA’s 491-member delegation competing in the Special Olympics World Games from July 25 through Aug. 2 in Los Angeles. The “home team” will include 304 athletes and 43 Unified Partners competing in 17 sports, as well as 102 volunteer coaches, and 42 volunteer sports and management team members, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In all, the event will feature athletes from 170 nations competing in 17 sports.
The Special Olympics World Games, founded in 1968, is hosted every four years and showcases the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities. This year’s event is expected to draw more than 3,000 coaches, 30,000 volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of supporters and spectators.
“Special Olympics provides opportunities for athletes — whether it’s trying a new sport, traveling outside of Hawaii for the first time, or meeting people from a different country,” Nancy Bottelo, Special Olympics Hawaii president and CEO said in a prepared statement. “We are all very proud of Chaunci, Ikaika and Isaiah for their dedication and commitment to preparing for the games, as well as for serving as such excellent ambassadors for Hawaii and sharing our aloha spirit with the world.”
All training and competition opportunities — including the opportunity to participate in the World Games — are provided to athletes and their families at no cost. Tax-deductible donations to help defray costs for the World Games can be made online at specialolympicshawaii.org. Tax deductible donations can also be made locally to Special Olympics West Hawaii by emailing Lindsey at SOWHdenise@gmail.com for more information. All funds raised locally support athletes in West Hawaii.