By KEVIN ELZE
After competing in Special Olympics for over half of his life, Brandell Smith has won many medals. So many, in fact, that according to his mother, they would exceed his own body weight.
“His room is so full of them he can hardly get to bed,” said Dorothy Smith, mother of this Special Olympic athlete.
After 11 years competing in Special Olympics, Brandell Smith, 22, from West Valley City, has competed in almost every event offered by Utah Special Olympics. He has won medals in almost all of them including swimming, skiing, bowling, track and field, cycling, golfing and softball.
But the one in which he excels the most is skating. With only a few years under his blades, Brandell has gone far in speedskating.
So far that he once entered a skating marathon race where he skated a total of 13 1/2 miles before stopping, outlasting most of the other competitors.
3 1/2 years ago while cross-country skiing, a professional skater approached Dorothy Smith and said there were skating skills and techniques evident in Brandell Smith’s skiing.
Boris Leiken, a professional skating coach, offered to coach Brandell Smith after only three years of skating. Leiken, a one-time member of the international skating team from St. Petersburg, Russia, said that he could see extraordinary talent in this athlete.
Brandell also skates in non-Special Olympic events, such as the California Classic and Silver Derby, where he usually brings home medals or ribbons.
Brandell has done so well that he is a member of the Northern Utah Speedskating Association, a non-Special Olympic, international speedskating team. He is also a member of Jet Blades, a rollerblading team.
This weekend Brandell will be competing in softball as an outfielder for the Panthers. The Panthers is the largest Special Olympics group in Utah
