Gold Medals, Personal Bests, and Moments They’ll Never Forget

Team NH Shines at the 2026 USA Games

June 24, 2026

The cheers echo across the track, pool, tennis courts, bocce courts, powerlifting stage, bowling alley, and golf course here in the Land of 10,000 lakes – Minneapolis, Minnesota! Every few minutes, another personal best flashes across a scoreboard. Another medal is awarded. Another teammate rushes over for a hug.

This is the rhythm of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, and Team New Hampshire is making the most of every moment.

This week in Minneapolis, Team New Hampshire has experienced all of it.

As competition reaches its midway point, Team NH has earned 15 medals, including:

But the medal count tells only part of the story.

Chasing Personal Bests

For many athletes, success isn’t defined by standing atop the podium. It’s about becoming better than they were yesterday.

Powerlifter Jacob Constas reached a new personal best in the squat, successfully lifting an incredible 128 kilograms.

On the bowling lanes, Bryanna Allison rolled a personal-best 184 during doubles competition, while teammate Amanda King celebrated a personal-best score of 138.

On the track, Thomas Cantara first rewrote his own record books, running a personal-best 4:29.6 in the 1,500-meter preliminary race. He wasn’t finished. When the finals arrived, Thomas raced to the front of the field and captured the gold medal, a fitting finish to one of the week’s standout performances.

The Power of Perseverance

Not every victory comes easily.

Tennis athlete Lili Leonard-Heath opened competition with a loss to an opponent she would face again just one day later.

When the rematch came, Lili turned the tables, earning the first competitive tennis victory of her career. It was a moment that perfectly captured the resilience athletes develop through sport.

Teammate Andres Tourgee has put together an impressive tournament of his own, finishing preliminary play with a 5-1 record, including a victory over a previously undefeated competitor. As he prepares for the medal rounds later this week, Andres also checked another unforgettable experience off his bucket list when he met one of his WWE heroes, Chad Gable.

Together, the pair have embodied what Team NH is all about: competing hard, supporting one another, building friendships, and embracing every opportunity the Games have to offer.

Competition at Its Finest

Some of the week’s most memorable moments have come in the closest competitions.

Team NH’s men’s bocce doubles team battled through a dramatic sudden-death finish before claiming the bronze medal, while the women’s doubles team defeated an undefeated opponent on its way to earning silver.

Out on the golf course, every stroke mattered.

Unified partners Amanda Coviello and Steve Olson celebrated a par on the notoriously difficult 17th hole, while brothers Jon and Jeremy Howry each carded pars on two challenging holes during their round.

Every sport has its own version of victory, and this week Team NH has celebrated them all.

A Golden Moment on National Television

When swimmer Peyton Jones dove into the pool, he wasn’t just racing for New Hampshire. He was racing in front of a national audience.

Peyton captured gold in an event broadcast live on ESPN, giving viewers across the country the opportunity to witness the determination, skill, and sportsmanship that define Special Olympics athletes.

It was a proud moment not only for Peyton, but for every member of Team NH cheering from the stands and watching back home.

More Than Medals

The USA Games are about much more than competition.

They’re about athletes discovering they belong on a national stage.

They’re about teammates becoming lifelong friends.

They’re about families watching sons, daughters, siblings, and friends accomplish things they once only dreamed about.

Every personal record, every medal, every handshake across the net or embrace at the finish line tells the same story: when athletes are given the opportunity to compete, they don’t just exceed expectations. They redefine them.

With competition continuing through the end of the week, Team New Hampshire still has more races to run, more matches to play, more memories to make, and more opportunities to inspire all of us back home.

One thing is already certain.

No matter what the final medal count says, Team NH has made New Hampshire incredibly proud.