Courtney Krueger, 42, the only Evanston athlete to compete in the 2026 Special Olympics USA games held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota last month, won four medals in powerlifting, a competitive strength sport, as part of the Women’s Division F-04. She won gold in the combined event and silver in the squat, bench press and deadlift events.
She competed in the 40-60 kilo weight category, which translates to athletes who weigh between 88 and 132 pounds.
Best overall
The official final results show Krueger lifted 127 pounds in the squat, 94 pounds in the bench press and 209 pounds in the deadlift. The combined weight she lifted for the gold was 195 kilos, or 430 pounds, the most for all-around strength. She was the only female athlete in her group who consistently placed near the top in all three events. That consistency gave her the highest total across events, and thus the overall championship medal.
ESPN covered the games live, and they are also available to watch on YouTube. In each event, Krueger approaches the barbell with a confident stride. Two spotters in blue shirts, plus the head spotter in a gray shirt, hover around her in case she falters. A ref sits off to the side in front of her. One of her coaches, Mandi Parisi, is nearby, first in the back and then watching from the front. It’s clear the barbell is heavy, but Krueger does not waver. Up above her head, she pushes more than 100 pounds for the bench press. She bends her knees deeply for in the squat, and pulls more than 200 pounds in the deadlift.
“The lifts go in order. First is the squats. I got second in the squats; that’s where you have the bar on your shoulders, and then you squat down, and then lift the bar up. Then the second one that I got second place in is the bench press, where you lay on a bench, and then you press the bar up. And then the third one, where I got silver, is the deadlift, where the bar is on the ground, and you just lift it up off the ground,” Krueger said. “With each of the categories, you get three tries, so you’ll start low, and then work your way up.”
According Special Olympics Illinois and Special Olympics USA Games, Team Illinois, with 57 athletes and 16 coaches, competed in eight sports and ranked sixth overall in medal counts with 54. The competition united 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans from all 50 states. For this year’s games, Krueger’s accomplishments yielded 7.4% of Team Illinois’ medals.
A natural at powerlifting
Ten years ago, former Special Olympics coach and former Evanston Parks and Recreation employee Leonard Woodson recruited Krueger to powerlifting when he was trying to form a team in the sport. She took to it immediately. Today, there are six powerlifters among Evanston’s Special Olympians, three men and three women.
Four days a week, Krueger trains with her current coach, Matt Nelson. Twice a week, she trains with the Special Olympics team, and another two times a week, she trains with Nelson at Lifetime Fitness. Parisi, one of Special Olympics’ national coaches, also coaches Krueger.
Nelson told the RoundTable in an email about Krueger’s work ethic and determination.
“I am super proud of Courtney’s journey to the 2026 USA Games and her ultimate result of earning the Combined Gold Medal in her weight class,” Nelson said. “She worked tirelessly for over a year after being named as part of Team Illinois. She often lifted three to four sessions a week in addition to other sports practices and holding down a full time job. Trusting the process of my coaching plan, she was able to stay injury-free and continued to improve and increase her PR’s [personal records] through out the season. Courtney always believed in herself while also supporting her teammates. She is a true champion inside and out.”
A classroom of fans
For the past 15 years, Krueger has worked with toddlers at the McGaw YMCA Children’s Center, where she’s a co-lead for that age group. She told them about her upcoming competition, but isn’t sure if they watched it.
Krueger was eager to see them when she returned. “Before I left, they gave me a card saying congratulations, good luck, and they gave me a little gift, and it was really nice,” she said. When she took her medals to work after getting back, all the kids wanted to hold them.
How does she feel after competing? “I feel incredible,” Krueger said. “It’s just the best feeling in the world, knowing that I’m that strong.”
Family support
Her dad and boyfriend, Aaron, traveled with her to the University of Minnesota to watch her compete. Two cousins who live in the area and a group of friends from the Evanston Special Olympics group joined in to cheer. Krueger’s mom was recuperating from surgery and unable to be there in person. Her family watched each event on TV and was cheering her on via a family group chat.
“When Courtney was invited to represent the State of Illinois a year ago, she wasn’t sure she could do it. She won the state championship in 2019, but she was younger and stronger then. But her coach Matt — what a wonderful guy! — convinced her that she could do it,”said her father, Curt Krueger. “She worked very hard, training four times a week, all while holding a full time job. Special Olympics is just an amazing organization. What a wonderful thing Eunice Shriver did when she created it. The most impressive thing is how participating in Special Olympics has improved Courtney’s self-confidence. We are so proud of her.”
Friends and future plans
Beside competing, another thing Krueger likes about Special Olympics is meeting other athletes.
“I made a ton of new friends,” she said. “They [Special Olympics Illinois] gave us a bag of like 50 pins, and then we just traded them with athletes from the other states. There was this thing called Target Village with different activities where you could walk around.”
What’s next for Krueger? She’s hoping to make the U.S. team for the next Special Olympics World Games scheduled for Oct. 16-25, 2027 in Santiago, Chile.
