When 39-year-old twins Lauren and Lisa Maiocco found out last May that only one of them was selected for the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, their mother, Janet Maiocco, worried it could create the sort of tiff that most siblings are all too familiar with.
“The thing that was hard is saying to her twin Lisa, you have to be happy for Lauren,” Janet Maiocco said. “Because they’re very, very close. You have to be happy for Lauren.”
Instead, Lisa Maiocco brushed aside any potential envy and became a mentor for her twin sister. When Lauren found out she’d be running the 200-meter race instead of her usual 100-meter event, Lisa, a distance runner, helped Lauren train in the year leading up to the USA Games, which were held in Minnesota from June 20-26.
“I started helping Lauren run the 200 in the backyard, and then we would also run the 200 on the street by our house and stuff, and it was a good opportunity,” Lisa Maiocco said. “Lauren wanted to give up, and I said, ‘Lauren, never give up. You never give up on something that you love to do.’”
With her twin sister’s help, Lauren brought home the gold medal in the 200 meters in 52.63 seconds. Maiocco was joined at the USA Games by fellow Collier County resident Gabriella De Leon. The 29-year-old powerlifter won silver medals in all four of her events — squat, bench press, deadlift and the combination of all three lifts.
Lee County had two competitors at the Games as Adam Johnson and Whitney Spielman teamed up in pickleball and won silver medals for Team Florida.
Lauren Maiocco said her gold-medal winning race was a tight finish, and she and her mother Janet weren’t sure what the result would be. Lisa Maiocco reminded her mother that, although her sister would go on to win gold, that winning wasn’t the point.
“Mom, regardless if she got second or whatever, she’s still a winner,” Lisa Maiocco recalled telling her mom on a phone call shortly after the race. “You can’t always get first place. You tried your best and you did your best. Then my sister calls me and is like ‘Guess what? I won first place.’ I was so excited for her. I couldn’t hold how I felt about it.”
While winning the gold was certainly rewarding, the Golden Gate resident most fondly remembered getting to spend time with the other Special Olympics athletes, trading pins and sharing a hug on the podium with the other participants.
“We’re in a different state, the one that got third and the one that got second. She gave me a hug and I gave the other one a hug, and so we grabbed each other’s hands and bowed like two times,” said Lauren Maiocco, who also competed in the 4×100-meter relay and placed fourth in the shot put. “I don’t want to leave any athlete out. I want to encourage them to be that strong person and get that medal.”
For De Leon, the Special Olympics has been a part of her life as far back as high school. Gabriella’s mom, Cynthia De Leon, said getting to participate in Special Olympics events has brought her daughter true friendships and helped her grow as a person.
“She’s just blossomed. She’s matured. She’s made some really good friends, she has good relationships with her coaches and she’s always willing to help and try something new,” Cynthia De Leon said. “This opportunity that she was given to go to USA Games, it just really helped her too, not only with you know with the sport, but also her self esteem. It’s been amazing.”
Gabriella De Leon has been participating in powerlifting events for the past four years, and was selected for the USA Games powerlifting team last May. The Naples resident said training for the USA Games required a lot of focus and working with her coaches.
“I’ve been working so hard, and I’ve been going to the gym and eating healthy, like the healthy habits and then training with my coaches,” De Leon said.
Like Maiocco, De Leon said her favorite part of participating in the games had less to do with the events and the medals, and more to do with the people she got to compete alongside.
“I meet new people and have fun,” De Leon said. “I want to be with my team … We went to go see other people from Team Florida competing and support other people about Team Florida.”
While spending time with teammates and fellow athletes was a major highlight, Maiocco and De Leon said they still have their sights set on competing at the 2030 USA Games in Cleveland.
“I guess I always thought, well, you know, she’s not going to be able to do it on her own, but the support she got, she was able to do everything independent and make choices that I didn’t think she was capable of,” Cynthia De Leon said. “It was just an amazing, amazing experience.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW Florida Special Olympians win medals at 2026 USA Games in Minnesota
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