The Hui O Hawaii USA track team includes (from left, top row) coach Doreen Hernandez, Kassandra Okinaka, coach Jeffrey St. Pierre (bottom row) Maja Gonya, Danielle Castrence and Eva Ujano. Courtesy photo

When the 4×100-meter relay takes off at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis next month, “Jet” and “Lightning” will be looking to help carry Hawaii to the gold.

Special Olympics Hawaii has announced its delegation of athletes, unified partners and coaches who will represent the islands as part of team Hui O Hawaii at the 2026 Special Olympics on June 20-26. Among them are Danielle Castrence and Eva Ujano, two athletes from Maui who will be running the third and fourth legs of the 4×100 relay.

In addition to anchoring the relay, Ujano will compete in the 100-meter run and 400-meter powerwalk, and Castrence has qualified for the 200-meter run and the running long jump. Both athletes also have fun nicknames given to them by Doreen Hernandez, head coach of Track and Field USA Games.

Hernandez said she calls Ujano “Lightning” for her blazing speed, while Castrence “soars like a jet.” “They totally love the nicknames,” Hernandez said.

That could come in handy given the size of the field getting ready for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. As one of the biggest and most inclusive sporting events in the country, organizers say it will draw 3,000 athletes, 1,500 coaches and 10,000 volunteers from all 50 states, in addition to seeing as many as 75,000 spectators.

Joining Ujano and Castrence on the four-person relay team will be Kassandra Okinaka and Maja Gonya, who have been training with their coach Jeffrey St. Pierre on the Big Island.

Hernandez said Hui O Hawaii includes athletes from across the Hawaiian islands, and a group of 34 people will be traveling to Minnesota, including the athletes, unified partners, coaches and support staff including a paramedic.

Altogether, there are 16 sports in play at the USA Games, including basketball, bocce, bowling, cornhole, flag football, golf, gymnastics, pickleball, powerlifting and more.

The Hui O Hawaii USA track, bowling and basketball teams take a photo with their coaches. The athletes are training for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games on June 20-26 in Minneapolis. Courtesy photo

Hernandez got her first experience working with the Special Olympics about seven years ago on the mainland, and she ramped up her involvement over the last four years on Maui.

At a typical practice, they start by stretching, warming-up and doing some easy drills. Hernandez said she tries hard to cement good technique before they go out on their runs.

“Working with Special Olympics athletes, they may have the same diagnosis, but you have to treat them individually,” Hernandez said. “You have to really know your athletes — that’s for sure.”

But when you do, the rewards are many. Hernandez said she recently asked her athletes what they think they’ll get out of going to Minnesota, and their responses were they’re grateful for the opportunity and they’re proud to represent Hawaii.

“Another one said that she’s grown, that she’s been training and she’s going for the gold medal,” Hernandez added.

For Hernandez, working with the athletes brings her joy, and she believes she gets as much out of the interactions as anyone.

“My granddaughter was born and she had a disability, but that’s not just why I do it,” Hernandez said. “But I think that there’s somebody out there that’s doing for her what I’m doing for the athletes here. My granddaughter is too severe to be involved with the Special Olympics, but there’s still got to be somebody out there that’s doing something for her that I’m doing here. … That’s one of the reasons that keeps me just wanting to stay involved, but mostly it’s what the athletes give me, not what I give them.”

Special Olympics Hawaii relies on volunteers and donations for everything from their uniforms and equipment to paying for travel costs. The team is raising money to attend the 2026 USA Games with a GoFundMe page at tinyurl.com/3y2aezw9. Donations can be mailed to Special Olympics Maui, PO Box 1842, Kahului, 96733.