Moyock resident Brandon Crawford came home from the recently-concluded Special Olympics World Summer games with gold and silver medals in bowling.

Zach Commander, a Special Olympian from Elizabeth City, didn’t compete but he still returned from Greece with golden memories.

“Incredible,” was the way Commander described his three-week stint as a member of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg that carried the Torch of Hope throughout Greece and then into the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremonies at the Games.

“It was the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

The 39-year-old Commander was one of 12 athletes chosen from around the world to join a large global group of law enforcement officers on the Final Leg relay.

“We ran every day from June 10th to June 25th,” said Commander. “We ran through 56 cities. We would run about three or four miles every day.

“It was great. Incredible. Running and getting to see all the beautiful cities gave me more energy to do it.”

Although Commander has been competing in Special Olympics since he was 12, he had never been into running. He’s been doing Alpine

skiing, soccer, basketball and volleyball. So he had to actually train for the relay.

“I worked out for three months at the YMCA with Rick Anderson,” Commander said. “He had me doing free weights and cardio and running on the treadmill three days a week.

“He trained me hard and got me ready to go.”

Once he got there, Commander, the father of three children, was captivated by the camaraderie that developed with his fellow runners.

“I went over there with Keith Jones from the Guilford County police department and there were three athletes assigned with each route,” he said. “I was with one from Paraguay and one from Greece. I became close with all of them. It was a wonderful experience.”

But two topped them all.

One was when Commander had the chance to light a cauldron at the Acropolis and the other was when the relay members neared the stadium.

“When I lit the cauldron, I met (NBA star) Yao Ming and (Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics) Timothy Schriver at a ceremony,” said Commander, who had the opportunity to practice for the chore when he lit the cauldron at opening ceremonies for the North Carolina Special Olympics Summer Games in Raleigh just before leaving for Greece. “That was great.

“Then, going to the stadium they got a picture of me celebrating with all the other officers in downtown Athens. We had just run two miles past the stadium. That’s the greatest picture ever. I’m emotional just talking about it right now.

“Incredible.”

Commander didn’t get to light the cauldron at the stadium, but he did stand on a stage with the other relay runners during the ceremony.

“When I was there, I really missed competing, but just having the opportunity to be a part of the opening ceremonies was good enough for me,” he said. “It was so cool.”

Back home, they are sharing Commander’s excitement. Not only is the family fired up, so is one of his employers.

“I work for Big Daddy’s Restaurant, which is owned by Greeks,” said Commander, who is also employed by Applebee’s. “They were really excited for me.

“I’m so proud of myself. I was trained and ready to go. I felt like I represented North Carolina very well.”

So did Crawford, who won a gold medal in doubles bowling with teammate Ben Rogers of Mississippi, finished second in his division in singles and earned a ribbon for a sixth-place in the team competition.

“I bowled really good,” said Crawford, who attended the Games with his parents, Anita and Dale Crawford. “I got into the 100s. That’s usually better than I do.”

While he could have attributed his success to being pumped up about the competition, Crawford credited another factor.

“I think I did better because the ball rolled easier,” he said. “The oil on the floor was different. It was like a different floor.”

Like Commander, Crawford also had a great time playing tourist.

“We were there for two weeks and I saw a lot of things like the Parthenon,” he said. “We went swimming in the ocean, too. It was a different color blue than here. It was clear and prettier.”

Crawford said his favorite part of the trip involved seeing a sight that would have stirred any Olympian, Special or otherwise.

“All the girls on the beaches,” he said with a giggle. “They were kinda topless. It was fun.”

The whole experience was so much fun that Crawford wants to repeat it.

“This was the first time I was there (at the World Summer Games), the next one is in South Korea and I want to go again,” he said.