Meet Evan Yurgaitis from Bealeton, Virginia. He has been part of Special Olympics for 14 years and loves every minute of it. His favorite sport is track. He enjoys being the fastest and especially loves training for the pentathlon.
Evan is more than just an athlete. He enjoys giving speeches and telling others how fun and meaningful his Special Olympics experiences have been. When asked about his favorite memory, Evan talks about the dances. He loves making friends and connecting with people. Winning gold medals is exciting too, but more than anything, Special Olympics has helped him believe in himself.
In his local community of Area 27, Evan and his mom are hoping to create more opportunities. They would love to add sports like golf and football, which are not currently offered where they live. Evan believes Special Olympics is an incredible organization that allows people to compete, meet others, and discover new opportunities.
One person who inspires Evan is his best friend Conner. They ran track together in high school. Conner supported Evan when others didn’t believe he could go far in life, and that support has always stuck with him.
There are some things people might not expect about Evan. He speaks Spanish. He and his family live by a motto: ABK, which stands for Always Be Kind. It’s a message Evan would share with the whole world.
Evan also loves cartoons. If he were to create an animated movie about his Special Olympics journey, he would title it “You're a Good Man, Evan Yurgaitis” and would want actor Noah Schnapp to play him.
If he could invite one celebrity to a Special Olympics event, it would be Shakira. He actually met her once, and she wished him good luck with everything in life. He still remembers that moment and would love to see her at one of his events or speaking engagements.
