A Cherokee County athlete who competed this past week in the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin is returning to Georgia as a world medalist.
Caleb Guy — who was given a community send-off earlier this month before he headed overseas — garnered three silver medals in kayak competition. He had the second-best time in his 200-meter men’s race, and that was followed by also earning the silver medal along with fellow Georgia athlete Raven Allen from Augusta in the 200-meter tandem kayaking event in Germany. A day later, he nabbed another silver medal in individual competition in the men’s 500-meter race.
Credit: Fresh Take Georgia
Credit: Fresh Take Georgia
The 20-year-old Georgia athlete was featured in “Everyday Heroes” profiles published last November by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in conjunction with other news partners. The article noted that Guy would be representing Team USA with competition scheduled in both singles and tandem kayaking events in Berlin. The World Games ran from June 17-25 in Germany’s capital.
He has been competing in the Special Olympics since he was 8 years old in different sports, including soccer, bowling and basketball. He joined the Cherokee County Special Olympics kayaking team at its inception just three years ago.
Despite having almost no previous kayaking experience, Guy learned quickly and won medals in his first season of competition. He was selected for the World Games after winning a gold medal in tandem and a bronze medal in individual kayaking at the state competition in Macon in 2021.
His tandem kayaker, Raven Allen, has competed in the Special Olympics for the past 16 years in bocce, bowling, cycling, equestrian and volleyball. She also won a medal in individual competition in Berlin, earning a bronze in the 500-meter.
“We are so proud of the work Caleb did to earn these medals,” his mom, Mollie Guy, said Sunday from Berlin, where she and his dad, Chris, have cheered him on, thanks in part to community fundraisers. “He had the least experience of any athlete here, so he had to work even harder to compete.”
She added, “We have had an amazing experience and are so thankful for our community and CCSO (Cherokee County Special Olympics) and SOGA (Special Olympics Georgia) for investing in Caleb so that he could compete.”
After attending Sunday’s closing ceremonies, Team USA’s Georgia delegation is expected to arrive back home at 10:45 p.m. Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
As for what’s next, Caleb Guy previously told the AJC that he plans to continue kayaking after the World Games. For “a long time,” he said.
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