Julian Pagan, 9, of Minersville, charged down the track with all his might.
In a 50-meter dash against three other boys Wednesday morning at Pottsville Area High School's Veterans Memorial Stadium, the fourth-grade student at Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 came in first.
"Yeah! All right!" Julian said as he was given a blue ribbon.
He was one of 301 students participating at the Special Olympics Schuylkill County Track & Field Meet, hosted by Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County. And the prize he received was more than just a pat on the back for being the fastest, according to his father, Juan.
"I think it boosts his confidence. He was really worried about the running part. He wanted to be number one. Well, he did it. And I'm surprised he did," Juan said.
Julian's challenges in life include insecurities about the outside world and crowds.
"He's also afraid of insects. But he's not too worried about bugs today," Juan said.
The event was held under overcast skies and temperatures in the 70s.
"We're glad the rain held off," Daniel A. Zackus, program manager of Schuylkill County Special Olympics, said.
With the help of more than 200 volunteers, the students competed in 13 events to win first, second, third and fourth place ribbons.
Students in 11 of the 12 Schuylkill County-based school districts took part in the event.
"The only school district that doesn't have anybody participating is Saint Clair Area," Zackus said.
Also there were students representing Gillingham Charter School, Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, St. Joseph Center for Special Learning, Avenues, Services Access Management, The ReDCo Group, the Association for Retarded Citizens and Northwestern Human Services, Zackus said.
"We had about 200 students coming from school districts and about 100 coming from those agencies," he said.
Other events included a softball toss.
With determination on her brow and orange, white and black paint making her face look like a tiger's, Neketa Hartman, 8, of Williamstown, a second-grade student at Williams Valley, pitched a softball with all her might.
Cory Eisenhart, 19, of Cumbola, a senior at Blue Mountain, also tested his pitching arm.
Cheering Cory on were his grandparents, Ernie and Antonette Frantz, Saint Clair.
"I like this event. It's good for the kids," Antonette said.
The event's opening ceremony included a torch run, which included three Pottsville police patrolmen, Paul Olson, Cody Montz and Tina Sullivan, retired Pottsville police officer Sgt. Francis Lynagh and four high school students, Travis Fetterolf of Pottsville Area, Steven Few of Pine Grove, Bryce Bowen of Blue Mountain and Stacy Schoffstall of Avenues, according to Zackus.
There were also performances by the Saint Clair Singers and the Saint Clair Band, according to the program.
"To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must have an intellectual disability, a cognitive delay or a development disability, that is, functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills. Participation in Special Olympics starts at age 8 years and there's no maximum age," according to the event program.
"This is a one-day event; basically, a day out for fun," Zackus said.