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Loretta Claiborne: SHE is a mega star in the US

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It’s 8:30 a.m. in York, Pennsylvania. Loretta Claiborne has already completed her daily jog.

“Five kilometers in the park around the corner,” she says. The day before she went skiing. After the conversation with BamS, she wants to go to the gym and play tennis in the afternoon. She reports that she has basketball practice the next day.

Loretta Claiborne is 69 years old.

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Loretta’s mother, Rita, fell down a flight of stairs while she was pregnant. Their daughter, the middle of seven children, was born almost blind and mentally handicapped. Thanks to multiple surgeries after she was born, Claiborne can see “not very well, but I can see something”. She only learned to walk at the age of four.

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Today, Claiborne looks back on 26 marathons she has run in her life. Personal best: three hours, three minutes – run at the 1982 Boston Marathon.

When Claiborne was born, people like her were marginalized. Visiting a school? Wasn’t intended for children with disabilities like Loretta. Her mother didn’t accept it. “She wanted me to have the same opportunities in life as my siblings.”

The girl, who was a bit different from the others, was marginalized and bullied from the start. Claiborne’s reaction to this? Force!

“I was frustrated and became aggressive. I really had problems with my temper, I kept getting into fights,” she says today. your way out? The sport.

“He saved me,” says Claiborne. And adds: “No, Special Olympics saved me. If it weren’t for Special Olympics” – she pauses, takes a deep breath – “I’d either be in jail or dead right now.”

When she was twelve, she discovered running. “I used to race with my brother Hank. That was good for me. I kept running more and more often.” When she was in tenth grade, she took part in a program for people with disabilities: one week at school, one week at work. “The way to work was long, I had to take the bus. I hated that. Eventually I started walking to work in the morning. And back again in the evening.”

One day, a program supervisor handed Claiborne a Special Olympics flyer. “But I couldn’t read,” she recalls. “He said I should show it to my mother at home.”

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She was skeptical at first – mainly because of concerns about possible costs for the desperately poor family. “And I also thought it wasn’t for me,” says Claiborne: “I thought I wasn’t worth anything and would immediately get into a fight again.” A trainer in the Special Olympics camp then gave her good advice at the time : “Loretta, stop always using your fists. Better use your feet, you can do a lot more with them.” He was right.

Claiborne has competed in Special Olympics since 1970. She has won six gold medals at the World Games for People with Intellectual Disabilities: four in running and two in bowling. In 2005 she even took part in the Nagano Winter Games – in figure skating. She finished second.

In 2000, even the Disney group filmed her life. Title: “Loretta – Triumph of the Will”. Today she is the first and only person with an intellectual disability to serve on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Global. She is Vice Chair and Chief Inspiration Officer. This week, she was named one of USA Today’s “Women of the Year.” Claiborne: “The award is a huge honor. I dedicate it to all the women who have helped me see my strengths. I hope that’s a sign for a lot of little girls out there who, like me back then, don’t believe in themselves.”

The next World Games will take place in Berlin from June 17th to 25th. Loretta Claiborne is participating again. “This time I’m competing in tennis,” she says.

Why tennis? It’s just fun for her. “Of course I would be happy to win another medal, but first and foremost I want to show my best tennis. And I’m really looking forward to Germany. So far I only know Frankfurt Airport.”

Source: Asia Times

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