Joshua Bender takes gold at the Special Olympics Summer Games

Going into the Special Olympics State Summer Games down at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Joshua Bender didn’t know what to expect.

Last year, the Winter Garden resident was invited to participate but turned down the chance because his friend couldn’t go. It took a little inspiration from his mom, Nita DerHovanesian, to get him to go.

But here he was now, sitting atop his dad’s old bike, speeding around the course with superhero speed.

“I really liked it and I was fast — really, really fast, and I just felt like my legs wanted to go,” said  the 20-year-old Bender, who has Down syndrome. “I just wanted to get out there and nail it and go fast.”

Bender’s reluctance to participate disappeared once he got on his bicycle. He won not one, but two gold medals Saturday, May 18, in the 2K and 5K races.

On both occasions — following his two races — Bender took to the winner’s podium, standing tall and proud, because he knew one thing: He was the champion.

“I feel like I’m a champion — I achieved that,” Bender said. “I was happy — really happy — and I was excited. I really, really liked it, and I felt like I wanted to win.

“My first medal was a golden medal…. I’m on the highest step and I feel like I’m a champion,” he said.

“I really liked it and I was fast — really, really fast, and I just felt like my legs wanted to go. I just wanted to get out there and nail it and go fast.”

— Joshua Bender

Seeing her son compete and succeed in such a way is something DerHovanesian always knew he could do — despite what people told her when Bender was little. 

In fact, when Bender was born, DerHovanesian was told that because of his Down syndrome, he would never be able to ride a bike. He had been written off from ever doing a basic kid activity, because of his disability, before he could even try.

Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with DerHovanesian, who started working with him at a young age.

“I had him on bikes with big, fat training wheels, and he really didn’t care — he was biking with everybody else,” DerHovanesian said. “And finally his best friend’s father said, ‘He doesn’t need that’ — his son is almost the same age as Joshua. 

“One day, we just took off the wheels, and he was riding — it was like he knew how to do it instinctively after riding with the training wheels,” DerHovanesian said. “He’s just always been very physical and capable of learning things pretty quickly. Our family is pretty active, and I guess I wasn’t surprised when he could just take off on the bike.”

Since first jumping on a bike as a kid, Bender has come a long way in his sport — thanks in large part to the support of his family. And since joining Special Olympics about a decade ago, as well as the West Orange-based Renegades, Bender has grown by leaps and bounds.

Through that time, he participated in many sports outside of cycling — including basketball, swimming and volleyball — but every time, Bender came back to his old bike.

That’s where he got to be just like his favorite superhero: Barry Allen, aka the Flash.

Just like The Flash, Bender taps into the proverbial Speed Force — the source of his super speed. 

“Yes, I am (the fastest man alive),” Bender said with a laugh. “I just like him — the Flash is just so fast. He is my favorite, and I watch his movies a lot. I want to become him.”

Although that process — if you go by the comics — would take dangerous chemicals and a bolt of lightning, Bender said he would stick to the more practical approach of riding his bike whenever he gets that chance.

Not only is bicycling a way for Bender to compete, but also it’s a family activity for him.

Quite often after dinner, Bender and his family take to the neighborhood or to the West Orange Trail to enjoy some time outdoors. Even riding as a family, Bender still rides with the same passion he does on the Special Olympics course.

“He’s a wild man out there,” DerHovanesian said with a laugh. “I’m a little worried about how he is riding, but he loves riding bikes — we’ve gone on the trail for years — and it has been a family thing, and I think that is why he picked it up so easily. As a family that’s what we have been doing for so many years.”

Riding like a wild man is all a part of the confidence Bender has built over the years — proving that one’s disability shouldn’t be seen as a detriment to what a person can do.

“He loves having Down syndrome; he thinks it makes him famous and unique — he wouldn’t want it any other way,” DerHovanesian said. “I don’t know where he gets his confidence, but he loves himself and he is a very independent person and he just loves life.”