Anna Stein represented the Hastings Sharks and Team Minnesota on one of the biggest stages in Special Olympics competition this summer, returning home with two silver medals from the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
Stein competed in three track and field events during the national competition, held June 20 through June 26 in Minnesota. She earned second place in the 400-meter walk and helped Minnesota take second in the 4x100-meter relay. She also placed fourth in the 100-meter walk.
The 36-year-old athlete, listed by the USA Games with a hometown of Cannon Falls, competed as a member of the Hastings Sharks, the local Special Olympics program. She was one of more than twenty Minnesota athletes selected for the state’s track and field delegation.
Her week began Monday with the preliminary round of the 100-meter walk. Stein finished the race in 40.22 seconds, earning a place in the F02 final.
When the finalists returned to the track Wednesday, Stein improved her time by three seconds. She crossed the finish line in 37.22 seconds, placing fourth in a tightly grouped race. The four athletes in the division finished within less than two seconds of one another.
Stein also began the 400-meter walk competition with a solid preliminary performance. She completed the race in 3 minutes, 5.77 seconds Tuesday, then returned for the final Wednesday.
She was even faster with a medal on the line.
Stein finished the 400-meter final in 3:03.40, more than two seconds faster than her preliminary time. The performance earned her second place and her first silver medal of the Games. Fellow Team Minnesota athlete Eve Newman won the division in 3:12.76, while Rebekah Jensen of Arizona placed third.
The finishing order might appear unusual because Special Olympics walking events are judged under technical rules, and placement can be affected by how athletes maintain proper walking form throughout the race.
Stein’s second medal came Friday in the 4x100-meter relay. Her Minnesota relay team completed the final in 1:35.25 and earned the silver medal. The team had advanced from Wednesday’s preliminary competition after posting a time of 1:33.00.
The results gave Stein a strong finish to a busy week, with preliminary races, individual finals and a relay spread across five days of competition.
Stein was part of a large Team Minnesota delegation competing in the Games. Minnesota’s track and field roster included athletes from Special Olympics programs across the state, with Cindy Vannelli serving as the team’s head coach.
The USA Games brought nearly 2,900 athletes together for competition in Minnesota, giving local athletes an opportunity to compete nationally without traveling across the country. Events were held around the Twin Cities, with Stein’s races taking place at the University of Minnesota track and field stadium.
Stein’s performance also drew recognition from Treasure Island Resort and Casino, which congratulated her for winning two track and field silver medals and highlighted its support of Special Olympics Minnesota.
For the Hastings Sharks, Stein’s success provided another reason to celebrate a program built around participation, competition and the joy of representing a team.
For Stein, the week ended with two silver medals, a fourth-place finish and the experience of competing against athletes from across the United States.
She also left the track faster than she started, improving her time between the preliminary and final rounds in both of her individual events.