When Special Olympics tennis athlete Kara Diachenko gathered with family and friends to watch the North Carolina selection show for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota, she had no idea what was coming. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kara thought she was tuning in to support other North Carolina athletes who earned their chance to compete in Minnesota. As her name was called to be one of the four athletes representing the tennis squad from North Carolina, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
Kara, who just turned 34 years old, has been competing in Special Olympics since she was 16, and will now compete on the national stage at the USA Games for the first time.
“It is an honor to travel with North Carolina to be a part of the USA Games,” said Kara. “When I found out, I was excited, and I cried tears of joy, and I thought to myself oh my gosh this is insane. I’m really excited for next year.”
Kara’s mom, Barbara Diachenko, who is maybe even more excited than Kara, had the unenviable task of keeping the amazing news from Kara. For planning purposes, Barbara had to keep quiet for over a month until the participating athletes were announced during the selection show.
“I was excited for her, but I didn’t say one word,” said Barbara. “As we were watching the selection show, Kara kept saying “wow” that looks so fun, but I kept my mouth shut, and she finally heard the news.”
Along with competing on the tennis court, one of Kara’s favorite aspects of being a Special Olympics athlete is the bonds and friendships she has made with other athletes and their families. She is an athlete who truly embodies what the Special Olympics stands for, she champions inclusion, sportsmanship, and goodwill when she competes in the tournaments and makes everyone feel like they belong.
“When she gets to the Special Olympics events and competitions, she is so excited to see the community of other athletes, it is almost like a family reunion,” said Barbara.
Even though she is a steward of friendliness and sportsmanship, she is a fierce competitor when she steps in between the lines, competing at a high level against female and male athletes in numerous tournaments around the country. She finished in first place in her division at the 2022 and 2023 Special Olympics Xperience Tennis Invitational, held annually at the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kara’s impressive list of accolades also includes first place finishes in singles and doubles during the Special Olympics North Carolina Fall Tournament in 2022, and a second-place finish at the fall tournament in 2023.
Kara’s Special Olympics coach, Jeff Beard, has seen her continued growth and maturity on the court over the years and thinks she is one of the cleanest ball strikers he has ever seen.
“I have accompanied Kara to numerous high-level events in North Carolina and Virginia. In most of these events, there were no women available to play at Kara's (high) level. She almost always ended up playing against men. She never complained, always played hard, and many times beat the men,” said Beard.
Off the court, Kara is fun and outgoing and, of course, loves to watch tennis. On her list of favorite tennis players are Ben Shelton because she hits her serve hard like him, and Carlos Alcaraz, who she got the pleasure of meeting at an event. Kara had the opportunity to hit tennis balls with Alcaraz, and he gave her some advice that she still uses to this day. He told her to keep up the good work and to never get too down on yourself because tennis is a back-and-forth sport.
“I try not to get frustrated if I lose a point,” said Kara. I keep myself positive and move on and try to win the next point.”
When she gets to Minnesota, there will be a total of 21 programs which will have a total of 80 athletes competing in singles, doubles and Unified doubles competitions at the Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of The University of Minnesota.
Outside of tennis, one of Kara’s favorite activities is karaoke, with Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus being her go-to song. And just like her favorite karaoke song, it will not only be a Party in the U.S.A., but it will also be a party for Kara and all the athletes at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games.
For more information on the 2026 Special Olympics USAGames, visit https://2026specialolympicsusagames.org
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