​When 39-year-old twins Lauren and Lisa Maiocco found out last May that only one of them was selected for the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, their mother, Janet Maiocco, worried it could create the sort of tiff that most siblings are all too familiar with.“The thing that was hard is saying to her twin Lisa, you have to be happy for Lauren,” Janet Maiocco said. “Because they’re very, very close. You have to be happy for Lauren.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementInstead, Lisa Maiocco brushed aside any potential envy and became a mentor for her twin sister. When Lauren found out she’d be running the 200-meter race instead of her usual 100-meter event, Lisa, a distance runner, helped Lauren train in the year leading up to the USA Games, which were held in Minnesota from June 20-26.“I started helping Lauren run the 200 in the backyard, and then we would also run the 200 on the street by our house and stuff, and it was a good opportunity,” Lisa Maiocco said. “Lauren wanted to give up, and I said, ‘Lauren, never give up. You never give up on something that you love to do.’”With her twin sister’s help, Lauren brought home the gold medal in the 200 meters in 52.63 seconds. Maiocco was joined at the USA Games by fellow Collier County resident Gabriella De Leon. The 29-year-old powerlifter won silver medals in all four of her events — squat, bench press, deadlift and the combination of all three lifts.Sisters Lauren (left) and Lisa Maiocco from the Florida State Games in May 2026.Lee County had two competitors at the Games as Adam Johnson and Whitney Spielman teamed up in pickleball and won silver medals for Team Florida.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLauren Maiocco said her gold-medal winning race was a tight finish, and she and her mother Janet weren’t sure what the result would be. Lisa Maiocco reminded her mother that, although her sister would go on to win gold, that winning wasn’t the point.“Mom, regardless if she got second or whatever, she’s still a winner,” Lisa Maiocco recalled telling her mom on a phone call shortly after the race. “You can’t always get first place. You tried your best and you did your best. Then my sister calls me and is like ‘Guess what? I won first place.’ I was so excited for her. I couldn’t hold how I felt about it.”While winning the gold was certainly rewarding, the Golden Gate resident most fondly remembered getting to spend time with the other Special Olympics athletes, trading pins and sharing a hug on the podium with the other participants.Lauren Maiocco competes in the 200-meter run at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.“We’re in a different state, the one that got third and the one that got second. She gave me a hug and I gave the other one a hug, and so we grabbed each other’s hands and bowed like two times,” said Lauren Maiocco, who also competed in the 4×100-meter relay and placed fourth in the shot put. “I don’t want to leave any athlete out. I