Stevens High celebrates Peyton Jones’ Special Olympics gold medal

Stevens High School is celebrating Peyton Jones after the Claremont athlete won gold in the 100-yard backstroke at the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota. The school highlighted the win in a June 24 post, turning a single race into a point of pride for Stevens and for Sullivan County.

Special Olympics results identify Jones as a 21-year-old athlete from Claremont and show just how tight the margin was on his way to first place. He finished the backstroke final in 1:27.210 after posting a preliminary time of 1:28.910, and he also competed in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley at the same Games.

The meet itself was no small stage. The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games ran June 20-26 and brought together about 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans from all 50 states. Special Olympics New Hampshire said Team New Hampshire ended the week with 31 medals overall, including 12 gold, 11 silver and 8 bronze, and said Jones’s winning swim was broadcast live on ESPN.

For Stevens, the medal offered a bright local story at a time when SAU 6 has publicly described 2025 as a “significant budget crisis.” District leaders said they froze purchasing, returned non-critical goods and equipment, and did not approve 19 new teacher nominations, a move they said would save about $1.8 million. Against that backdrop, Jones’s gold medal stood out as a reminder that student achievement still reaches well beyond test scores and staffing spreadsheets.

The result also gives Claremont and the wider Sullivan County community a national-level athletic success to point to, one that came through Special Olympics competition and a public school’s recognition of a student-athlete's work. In a week when Minnesota hosted thousands of athletes and volunteers, Jones brought home one of Team New Hampshire’s standout performances and put Stevens High on that scoreboard too.