Barack Obama invited Loretta Claiborne to the White House. Now, almost 70 years old, she is competing again at the Special Olympics World Games. Claiborne is not only an icon of the movement, but also a star and role model in the USA.
Loretta Claiborne was only briefly at the Brandenburg Gate. The oldest participant in the Special Olympics World Games recently gave an interview for a TV station from the USA at Berlin’s most famous sight. The interest is great. After all, the 69-year-old is a minor celebrity in her home country.
Honorary doctorate and Obama reception
Barack Obama received her in the White House, she holds honorary doctorates from several universities, and in 2000 Hollywood filmed her story under the title “Loretta – Triumph of the Will”. Claiborne is a Special Olympics icon. In Berlin she is taking part in the world games for the ninth time, this time she is competing in tennis – and as always she is highly motivated.
“I’ll give it my all, win or lose the game”, Claiborne said on Good Morning America. August 14 is her 70th birthday. That’s why she says: “I’ve already won with the opportunity to play. I didn’t think they would pick someone my age.”
Comeback in Berlin after 14 years
Claiborne is making a comeback in Berlin. It’s been 14 years since she last competed in the Special Olympics, and she actually made a name for herself as a runner. The marathon was her discipline. Her best time: 3:03 hours. That too is proof of their strength. Claiborne grew up in poor circumstances, she is the middle of seven children, her mother was a single mother.
Claiborne could not walk until she was four years old. A visual impairment also restricted her. She couldn’t be stopped. On the contrary. Her life became an inspiration. Her empathy, her will, her commitment to equality and inclusion and her fight against discrimination brought her recognition and respect beyond the sport.
“It’s okay to be yourself”
Claiborne also earned it on the tennis court not far from the exhibition center in the west of the capital. The atypical senior from York, Pennsylvania, has some advice for her much younger rivals: “Be proud of yourself. It’s okay to be yourself.”
The schedule of the Special Olympic World Games in Berlin at a glance.