They left town as heroes, and returned as champions.

Then again, success is nothing new for Delina Rodrigues and Matt Anthony of Palmerton.

It was no different when the dynamic duo competed earlier this month at the Special Olympics USA Games 2022 in Orlando, Florida.

Rodrigues competed in the 158-pound weight class in powerlifting, where she was the lone female to represent Pennsylvania in the event.

Along the way, she won silver medals in the back squat with a personal record of 75 kilos (about 165 pounds); in the bench press with a PR of 40 kilos (about 88 pounds); in the deadlift, 97.5 kilos (about 215 pounds); and in the overall competition.

Not to be outdone, Anthony won two bronze medals in bocce, along with gold in teams. His first bronze came in singles of bocce, while his second came in doubles with his partner, Nick Boone of Jim Thorpe. He also won gold in teams along with Boone and Jacob Carey and Johanna Schoeneck, both from Lycoming County.

Rodrigues said she worked hard to train and lose weight, which put her up against some strong competition.

While she didn’t earn gold, Rodrigues said she was happy with her PR’s in two of the three lifts that resulted in silver.

“I did the best I could do to represent Carbon County,” Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues said she was thrilled to receive her medal from World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Otis, and was happy to meet several WWE superstars.

“Disney was awesome, but very hot,” she said. “I got picked to speak during opening ceremonies, and that was fun”.

Rodrigues plans to take some time off to decide what sport she wants to compete in for the fall.

It may not be powerlifting, as she may decide to switch to a new sport, perhaps long distance running.

Either way, Rodrigues doesn’t want to leave her Special Olympics family, as she made many new friends at Nationals, and was able to meet up with old friends and coaches whom she met during her time in Abu Dhabi.

Anthony said he relished the opportunity to the max.

“I felt great; it was a nice experience, and I got to meet all new friends, got to play with them, have a great competition,” Anthony said. “I wasn’t scared about it; I was excited.”

Anthony said he plans to do bowling in the fall, and added he’s thinking about coaching bocce.

He also said he may look into different sports, such as Esports, a form of organized, multiplayer sport competition using video games.

Anthony thanked BWC Palmerton Campus for letting them set up a Bocce court in their gym to train.

Rodrigues previously won two gold medals at the Special Olympics World Games 2019 in Abu Dhabi.

Anthony earned a gold medal in bowling from the Special Olympic Unified Games in Las Vegas in 2019.