For the past nine years, Rockville native Ashley Thompson has spent her time making sweets in the bakery at her local Wegmans Food Market. And for an additional seven years, she has been serving as an aide in local classrooms and senior facilities.
But what Thompson has been doing even longer than baking and volunteering in the community is competing. For 20-plus years, Thompson has been training and competing in the Special Olympics in Alpine skiing, bowling, kayaking, and soccer.
This year in the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Thompson represented Special Olympics USA in the water, bringing home two bronze medals and one silver medal in kayaking.
Congratulations to our MD cycling and kayaking athletes who competed over the last week at the @sowg_berlin2023 as part of @specialolyUSA! Check out these awesome photos captured by @SpecialOlympics #TeamUSA #SpecialOlympicsWorldGames #Berlin2023 #UnbeatableTogether #TeamMaryland pic.twitter.com/TDhrgnLjjA
— Special Olympics MD (@SpOlympicsMD) June 27, 2023
In two of the single tourist kayaking events, Thompson showed off her prowess by finishing in 2nd in the 200-meter race with a time of 01:34.75 and finishing in 3rd in the 500-meter race with a time of 04:32.07.
In the doubles tourist kayak event, Thompson and her companion, Charlotte Lewis, finished at 01:31.82, taking home the bronze medal.
The Special Olympics World Games hosted 26 various sports, with athletes from around 190 countries competing in them. Thompson says that the Special Olympics have provided her with a community to learn and excel in sports, and she is proud to represent Special Olympics USA and Special Olympics Maryland.
Photo courtesy Special Olympics Maryland
