For the foreseeable future, Joshua Low plans to sleep with his new prized possession.
The Langley man was the first Canadian athlete to capture a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Low won gold in the 25m backstroke event — setting a personal best in the process — to give Canada its first of many gold medals at the Games, which ran July 25 to Aug. 2.
Team Canada returned from the Games with an all-time high of 144 medals. That included 70 gold, 48 silver and 26 bronze.
Another Langley athlete, Karl Anderson, helped capture the bronze in softball while two others — Alastair Singh and Matthew Williams — just missed the podium as part of the basketball team.
“There is no better way to describe Team Canada’s performance at the World Games than awesome,” said Johnny Byrne, Team Canada’s chef de mission.
“I could not be more proud of our athletes and coaches and how they performed on an off the field.
“We return home knowing that we achieved our goals and honoured our great country.”
“The road to the World Games and the experience of international competition has proven to be an incredible journey for this team,” added Sharon Bollenbach, the chief executive officer for Special Olympics Canada.
“They demonstrated passion, dedication and represented our country with utmost pride.”
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A special ceremony is planned to honour the athletes and the public is invited to attend.
It will be held at the Douglas Park Spirit Square (20550 Douglas Cres.) from 7 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 13.
Special Olympics Canada
Langley’s Joshua Low powers his way to the gold medal in the 25m backstroke event at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles.
