Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Recognition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Geneva honors local world champion Ben Blumond after Virtus gold
Summary
Geneva City Council welcomed Geneva High graduate and Team USA para‑athlete Ben Blumond to the Nov. 3 meeting, where he described winning gold in the 5,000‑meter race walk at the 2025 Virtus World Athletics Championships and accepted a city proclamation and gifts.
Geneva on Monday paused business to honor Ben Blumond, a Geneva High School Class of 2017 graduate and an international para‑athlete who won the gold medal in the 5,000‑meter race walk at the 2025 Virtus World Athletics Championships in Brisbane, Australia.
"Race walk demands not just physical strength, but focus, precision, dedication, and mental toughness," Blumond said, describing the 97‑degree track conditions and the strict judging that made the race especially difficult. "I finished with no red cards and earned my place on top of the podium as a world champion." (Ben Blumond, athlete)
Mayor Burns and the City Council presented Blumond with a certificate and small gifts, declared the week through Nov. 9 “Ben Blumond Week” in Geneva and invited him to show the medal to councilmembers and the audience. Coach Jim Blumond, who accompanied Ben, told the council the athlete qualified through USATF masters events and trained intensively at Geneva Middle School for more than a year to adapt to the technical demands of race walking.
The council also approved distributing Team USA buttons and other mementos to attendees. The presentation was ceremonial; no council action was required beyond the proclamation and routine acknowledgments.
Ben Blumond is affiliated with Special Olympics Illinois, the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association and Athletes Without Limits, according to his remarks to the council.
