By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A 26-year-old Special Olympian from Savannah is seeing his dreams become a reality after being selected to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin 2023.
“I want to thank all the people who helped me get here,” Charlie Phillips said in a news release from Special Olympics Missouri.
Phillips earned his spot after proving himself at the Special Olympics USA Team Trials in San Antonio, Texas in November, finishing the weekend with the top squat of 182.5 kg as well as the top deadlift of 227.5. kg
Phillips also bench pressed 130 kg during the trials.
“It was a lot of fun,” Phillips said. “I got to meet a lot of athletes from different states.”
Phillips was the only Special Olympics Missouri athlete to be nominated for the games in Berlin. He learned about his initial nomination in September while attending a Missouri Western State University football game. Read more about that here.
Phillips grew up in Pennsylvania, where he got his start with Special Olympics Pennsylvania 15 years ago. In 2010, he participated in his first-ever Special Olympics USA games as part of the Pennsylvania track team. Once he moved to Missouri, Phillips didn't skip a beat.
In 2018, he was back at the USA games as a powerlifter for Special Olympics Missouri. In his career, Phillips has participated in five different sports: basketball, track, soccer, flag football, and powerlifting.
The Special Olympics World Games in Berlin will begin this June.
