Big Joe Gibson is a fixture at Special Olympics events in Butte and around the state.

Name the sport, and Joe competes in it. He swims, snowboards and plays basketball. He also competes in track & field.

That is where Joe will be on display with some of the finest Special Olympians the United States has to offer next week. Joe will compete in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games June 20-26 in Minneapolis.

Joe will compete in three events — the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash and the turbo javelin — at the state-of-the-art Track and Field Stadium on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus.

Joe, a 2006 Butte High graduate, is eyeing a meet record in the turbo javelin since he knows has already thrown better than what is on the book for the USA Games.

Earlier today, I met with Joe at the Knights of Columbus Hall for a fun conversation. Listen in as he talks about his 20-plus years competing in the Special Olympics. Listen to why he says the Special Olympics and those Olympians are so special.

Listen in as he talks about the trip and how he is going to catch a Twins-Dodgers game after he competes.