Goochland athlete Conner Emmert heads to Special Olympics USA Games

Conner Emmert, a 21-year-old Goochland athlete with primordial dwarfism, is headed to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, a national stage he reached after years of training, surgeries and steady support from school and coaches in Goochland County.

Emmert, a 2025 graduate of Goochland High School, will represent Team Virginia in the mini javelin, 100-meter run and 4x100 relay. Special Olympics Virginia says he is one of 47 athletes from the state heading to Minnesota, part of a larger group of 59 Virginia athletes making the trip.

His path to that start line has not been simple. Emmert has undergone multiple surgeries, including multiple brain surgeries and a spinal fusion, while still finding ways to stay active in bocce, bowling, track and field, basketball and golf throughout the year. He has built a medal collection of about 19 medals, a sign of both persistence and the kind of structured opportunities that can turn participation into real achievement.

One of those opportunities came at Goochland High School, where Emmert was introduced to Special Olympics through the unified PE class that pairs students with students with intellectual disabilities. That school-based program gave him an entry point into organized sport close to home, before his success expanded to the state and national level.

Coach Wes Farkas will accompany Emmert and the team to Minneapolis, underscoring how much logistics matter in accessible athletics. For athletes like Emmert, getting to the Games is not only about speed or strength. It also depends on coaching, transportation, adaptive programming and a community willing to make room for athletes with disabilities at every level of competition.

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are scheduled for June 20-26 in Minnesota. Special Olympics Minnesota says the event will bring together about 4,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans from all 50 states. The official USA Games site says more than 3,000 athletes will compete in 16 sports.

Emmert’s story was also captured in “Conner’s World,” a 15-minute Special Olympics Virginia film that premiered April 23 at the Ashland Theatre and was released publicly April 24. For Goochland families, his journey is a reminder that inclusive sports can start in a local gym class but still require far more support to carry an athlete all the way to the national stage.