Motueka’s Special Olympics athletes returned home with an impressive haul of medals after competing at the National Summer Games in Christchurch in December.
Six locals – swimmers Michael Tideman and Rosa Doughty, along with indoor bowlers Daniel Spicer, Andrew Box, Natalie Rush and Christine Freeth – were among 1200 participants at the event, which is held every four years.
Michael Tideman claimed a medal of each colour, winning bronze in the 100m medley, silver in the 100m freestyle and gold in the 100m backstroke. His mother Julie reports that they roomed at the University of Canterbury with many other out-of-town athletes and had “a lot of fun” over the five days they were in town.
Training buddy Rosa also impressed, taking the silver medal in the 25m freestyle event. She describes her time at the games as “crazy and fun at the same time”.
Christchurch’s new Parakiore aquatic centre proved a hit with the swimmers, who were thrilled to compete in the facility’s inaugural event.
The indoor bowling quartet also came away triumphant, with coach Albert Anderson reporting that they won bronze in the fours. Daniel and Christine also won gold in the pairs, with Natalie and Andrew coming in fourth. Albert says they are all great mates who enjoyed sightseeing around Lyttelton and exploring Christchurch’s centre city together. The closing dinner and DJ were also a highlight for this music loving bunch, but nothing topped the thrill of competition.
“As long as they get something around their necks, they’re happy,” he laughs. Albert trains eight athletes in total, who meet every fortnight at the Motueka Bowling Club. For now, they’re enjoying a short break before launching into their 2026 training regime.
