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Fredericksburg resident wins gold medal in golf at the Special Olympics Date published: 12/25/2007
BY LAUREN BOSTON
To most University of Mary Washington students, Grace Anne Braxton is just another worker at the Eagles Nest dining center. Yet her resume reveals a life that has been anything but ordinary. After nearly 17 years of playing golf, Braxton traveled to the 2007 Summer Special Olympics in Shanghai, China, adding a gold medal to her list of awards. The Fredericksburg resident dominated the other four women in the competition, defeating silver medalist Rita Dunne of Ireland by 36 strokes. Braxton and her parents--Harrison and Gail Braxton--arrived in China with seven other Virginia athletes on Sept. 29, spending a few days exploring Shanghai before the opening ceremony Oct. 2. The James Monroe High School graduate said this was one of the more memorable parts of her trip. "We really didn't have very much free time when we were in China, but the opening ceremonies were a blast," she said. "We had Arnold Schwarzenegger walk with our team." After earning a gold medal in the 2005 National Golf Championship with an 87 in 18-hole individual stroke play, Braxton set out to defend her title as the world's best Special Olym-pics female golfer. Throughout five days of play, Braxton posted scores of 98, 92, 96 and 93, as Virginia's lone golfer. When Braxton wasn't competing from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., she said she cheered her teammates. Braxton not only came home with top honors, but enjoyed two weeks in a foreign country. "It was fun, it was different, like the language barrier," she said. "The people were really friendly and nice but it's a lot different than here. I liked it, I just got tired of the food because all they had was pasta and rice and stuff like that." Ahead Of The Pack While Braxton's time in Shanghai was memorable, she is no stranger to winning. In addition to golf, Braxton is an avid swimmer, earning another gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke last year in the Special Olympics National Championships in Ames, Iowa. Despite her success, Braxton said she doesn't compete for the awards. "I like meeting new people and going to new places," said Braxton, who always has enjoyed social studies and traveling.
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