Loretta Claiborne attacked, injured before Special Olympics World Games
York County icon Loretta Claiborne was riding her bike home from the Turkey Hill as usual, holding the handlebars with her left hand, coffee cup with her right.
That's when an unidentified man threw a large object at her last Saturday morning. She ducked and what she believes was a hunk of asphalt whizzed inches over her head, according to longtime friend and advocate Roxanne Dubbs.
A few moments later, the same man reportedly charged her and knocked her off her bike near her York City home, causing abrasions to her hand, elbow and knee.
Claiborne, an international spokesperson for Special Olympics, is about to turn 70. And she can take care of herself about as well as anyone: the famed long-distance runner is a fourth-degree black belt in karate and works out daily.
She apparently chastised the man twice, spurring him to flee. She immediately reported the incident to York City Police. Later that day she grabbed a ride to New York City and then flew to Berlin, Germany. Claiborne is scheduled to compete in tennis there in the Special Olympics World Games, which begin later this week.
She shrugged off the minor injuries −the scrapes, in part, were to her non-racket holding left hand. But "she is still fired up about it," Dubbs said.
“She’s been knocked down emotionally and physically her whole life, and she still gets back up and forges ahead."
Claiborne apparently does not know her attacker.
The incident reportedly happened after she left her regular morning coffee-and-chat stop at the Turkey Hill store at 742 Roosevelt Avenue. She began riding the three blocks home when she was attacked on Hartley Street, according to Dubbs. York City Police have issued a "Crime Watch" report as they look for the suspect.
These world games will be Claiborne's first as an athlete in 14 years and first in tennis. She gains most of her acclaim now as a motivational speaker for Special Olympics.
She recently was named one of USA Today's Women of the Year, just the latest in a decades-long list of accomplishments and honors. As she's earned a unique fame — mingling with U.S. presidents, winning ESPN's Arthur Ashe Courage Award, having a Disney movie made of her life — she's stayed loyal to her hometown, helping others at every turn.
She's a prolific knitter, making and donating caps for premature babies. She also makes cotton yarn prostheses for women who have undergone mastectomies or other procedures to their breasts.
Claiborne began life as a mentally and physically disabled Black girl growing up in a York housing project in the 1960s. She was one of seven children raised by a single mother. She couldn't walk or talk and was partially blind as a child.
How Loretta Claiborne inspires: USA TODAY’s Women of the Year: How Loretta Claiborne inspires through Special Olympics
Loretta Claiborne at 65: York's Loretta Claiborne still inspires - including a crew recently filming her for ESPN
Frank Bodani covers sports and human interest stories for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on Twitter @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Special Olympics World Games: Loretta Claiborne in Berlin, Germany
