DeWitt Earns Two Gold Medals in Track and Field at USA Games

Whether he’s competing in the 1,500- or 3,000-meter run, Nathan DeWitt has the same strategy.

He said he doesn’t go out too fast. If he gets behind the other runners, he saves his fastest running for the final straightaway, passing them and crossing the finish line first.

At the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, that strategy worked perfectly for the Team Indiana track and field team member.

In the finals of the 1,500-meter run on June 23, DeWitt won in 5:18.57, nearly 10 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

In the 3,000-meter run three days later, he won in 12:01.43, nearly 16 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

He returned home to Hancock County with two gold medals.

“I’m very, very happy,” DeWitt said. “I trained a lot for this, (running) every other day and 5Ks and running club.”

In both races, he hovered around fourth place until picking up his pace.

“I already knew I was getting the gold medal,” DeWitt said of his thoughts crossing the line to begin his final lap. “Everybody is slowing down, and I’m getting faster.”

DeWitt credits that strategy to Team Indiana coach Jeff Bluethmann, who also is Hancock County’s Special Olympics track and field and distance run coach and coaches a running club in Greenfield in which DeWitt participates.

“Distance running is what I did in high school and college, so I know a little about strategy,” Bluethmann said. “We kind of talk strategy, and he listened very well. He did exactly what I wanted him to do. A lot of times in a distance race like that, you’ll see somebody go out too hard. You have to have those conversations so they don’t go out too hard and hurt themselves.”

Once they learned they were part of Team Indiana a year ago, Bluethmann said he and DeWitt began running together every Sunday. They also joined the running club on Tuesdays and practiced with the Special Olympics track and field and distance run teams during those seasons.

“We’ve got him running at least three times a week,” Bluethmann said.

DeWitt said the runs ranged from 3 to 5 miles.

For his third event at USA Games, DeWitt switched to sprinting, as he ran the first leg of the 4×100-meter relay. Heather Zwingelberg of Posey County was second, followed by Danielle Oehlman of Porter County and Blake Buckner of Hamilton County. Together, they placed fourth in their division with a time of 1:03.03.

At 16, DeWitt was the youngest member of the Team Indiana delegation, which consisted of athletes and Unified partners in 10 sports. He’s a student at New Palestine High School.

“I’m really proud of him,” Bluethmann said. “I’m proud of all of our athletes, even the ones that didn’t necessarily get a gold, bronze or silver medal. They all did a lot. They did have PRs (personal records), and you’ve got to reward them all. They did a heck of a job. Really, the team gelled together really well.”

Team Indiana’s other 3,000-meter run participant was Alexandria Gotoh of Bartholomew-Brown-Jennings Counties. She placed third in her division in 15:12.72.

Also on the final day of competition June 26, Zwingelberg placed fifth in her division of the 200-meter dash in 43.54, and Shelby Baker of Benton County finished sixth in her division of the 200 in 38.39.

“I feel honored to be able to be here and to coach these athletes,” Bluethmann said. “They did awesome.”

Coach Renee Parks of Bartholomew-Brown-Jennings Counties echoed those sentiments.

“One thing that I really enjoyed is, even though we have our differences, you guys have all pulled together. Thank you for that,” she told the team. “We’re a family, and we’re going to have our arguments, and that’s normal, but I’m so proud of every one of you for at least giving your effort out there. That’s the only thing we could ask. We are a family, and we ought to act like family, and we got to be there for each other.”