Canney strikes gold at Special Olympics World Games

Fredericton swimmer Jesse Canney just keeps adding to his trophy case.

The 22-year-old athlete won a gold medal Sunday in the 1,500-metre freestyle event at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.

It is the second medal for Canneyat the Games after taking silverin the 400-metre freestyle on Friday.

Canneyhad a winning time of 17:53.49. He defeated Great Britain's Ciaran Kellyby three minutes and 37 seconds for the victory in the 1,500.

Hehas two more opportunities to win a medal.He'll compete in the 4x100-metre relay on Monday and the 800-metre freestyle event on Tuesday.

Canney started training at the age of seven after being diagnosed with non-verbal autism.