This year, Tamal Lee from Norfolk lit up the Basketball Championships Opening Ceremony when he ignited the cauldron with the flame of hope.
That honor was 35 years in the making. Tamal, who has competed in an array of sports has built his confidence through Special Olympics.
He's a reminder that not all our athletes are "kids" and many of them have had a lifetime of the competition. The 52-year-old has no plans on retiring any time soon. In fact, when pressed on whether he would still compete if he was unable to get up and down the court, he proclaimed that he would simply switch to bowling.