Tennessee had the most participants and won the most medals of any state in the National Senior Games last month in Birmingham, Ala., and Chattanooga-area athletes had a lot to do with that.
Tennessee was represented by about 1,100 men and women ages 50 and over, and they earned 655 gold, silver and bronze medals, the Tennessee Senior Olympics office reported recently.
Warren Barger won four national gold medals and a silver in the men’s 95-99 age group and teamed with fellow Chattanoogan Alton Oliver for the 85-89 badminton doubles gold. Barger’s individual golds were in badminton singles, discus, high jump and long jump, and he was second in shot put.
Another Chattanoogan, Durward Higgins dominated the 75-79 cycling with golds in the 10-kilometer and 5k time trials and 20k and 40k road races, and Chattanooga’s John Disterdick won the 75-79 triathlon and finished second in the 500-yard swimming freestyle event, third in the 200 free, fourth in the 100 free and fifth in the 50 free and 50 backstroke.
Sewanee’s John Wendling won the 80-84 50-yard freestyle swimming and was second in the age group in 100 free, 100 backstroke and 50 breaststroke and was fifth in the men’s track 100, and Ed Leech of Cleveland was fourth in the 65-69 men’s swimming 200 individual medley and fifth in the 400 IM. Nady Ibrahim, also of Cleveland, had three top-10s in 65-69 men’s, and Crossville’s Arlene Mercadente had five top-10s in 80-84 women’s, including a bronze in 200 free.