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Team NZ dedicates Special Olympics wins to Chch

A total of 32 medals were won by Team NZ - Photos / Special Olympics NZ

New Zealand's 38-strong delegation that attended the Special Olympics Summer Games will return home with a haul of medals.

The massive event said to be the biggest sports and humanitarian event to be staged anywhere in the world in 2019, was held in Abu Dhabi from March 14-21.

The NZ team has come away with a total of 32 medals – five gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze after competing in swimming, athletics, bocce, equestrian, basketball, bowling, powerlifting and football.

New Zealand Haka

Special Olympics New Zealand Football Team's Haka performance for Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 #PureNewZealand #Kiwis #MeetTheDetermined #AbuDhabi2019 #BeUnified

Posted by Special Olympics New Zealand on Wednesday, March 20, 2019

In speaking to local media in Abu Dhabi, Team NZ members said they were dedicating their medal wins to the victims of the Christchurch terror attacks.

Following news of the terror attacks, Team NZ athletes, along with leaders of the Special Olympics, gathered at the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi in a show of compassion and unity.

A video of their visit can be viewed here.

NZ Medal Winners include:

Athletics -

Dominic Faherty (Wellington) Gold 200m run

Holly Jones (Thames Valley) Bronze Mini Javelin

Silver 100m run

Janiece Pollock (Wellington) Gold 100m run

Gold Long Jump

Kyle Harpur (North Canterbury) Silver Shot Put

Bronze Mini Javelin

Bocce -

Barbara Duncan (Hawkes Bay) Bronze Unified Sports Doubles

Natasha Nicholson (Manawatū) Bronze Singles

Bronze Unified Sports Doubles

Bowling - 

David Nixon (Waikato) Bronze Singles

Katie McMillan (Waitākere) Silver Singles

Richard Willmott (Canterbury) Bronze Singles

Equestrian -

Alexander Goldsack (Bay of Islands) Bronze Dressage

Amy Batchelor (Canterbury) Silver English Equitation

Silver Dressage - 

Charlotte Aroa (Waikato) Bronze Dressage

Bronze English Working Trails

Powerlifting - 

James Wilson (Howick-Pakuranga) Silver Squat

Silver Combined Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift

Silver Bench Press

Silver Deadlift

Swimming - 

Deshan Walallavita (Te Awamutu) Silver 100m freestyle

Gold 50m butterfly

Liam Bartley (North Otago) Gold 50m butterfly

Bronze 100m freestyle

Libby Sheppard (Manawatū) Bronze 25m backstroke

Melissa Donoghue (Waikato) Silver 50m butterfly

Bronze 100m freestyle

Portia Johnson (Te Awamutu) Bronze 50m freestyle

Unity Collins (Te Awamutu) Silver 50m freestyle

4 x 50m Relay Silver