LOS Angeles get ready; Mandurah’s Matthew Calkin is coming.
The 32-year-old has been selected to represent Australia in softball at the Special Olympic World Summer Games in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2.
Calkin will join the 76-strong Australian team that will come up against 7000 athletes from 177 countries making it the biggest sporting event in the world this year.
Calkin, who has an intellectually disability, has been training hard for the competition and can’t wait top compete.
“I’m excited to get over there,” he said.
Calkin has previously represented Australia at the games in golf, winning a silver medal in Shanghai in 2007 and gold in Athens in 2011.
“After coming back from Athens I decided to take up soft ball,” he said.
“I wanted to play a team sport.”
Calkin was selected for the Australian softball team following Western Australia’s win in the national competition in Melbourne against Victoria and Tasmania.
The softball Australian team comprises of six Western Australians and three players from each of Victoria and Tasmania.
Calkin’s dad Max Chesterfield said his son was a natural athlete.
“He sure can hit a golf ball and that transferred to soft ball,” he said.
“He just had learn the rules.”
Calkin said he had no set goal for the team with the aim just to have fun. “We will just give it our best,” he said.
“The best thing [about the games] is meeting new people,” he said.
The Special Olympics aim is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with an intellectual disability, culminating in Special Olympic World Games.
Calkin’s mum Linda Chesterfield said the games were an uplifting experience.