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Ryan Senior, left, collects one of his two gold medals at the Special Olympics National Winter Games.
Four Southland athletes got to step onto the podium, with one striking double gold at the Special Olympics National Winter Games, and pushing his name to the forefront for selection for the world version of the event in Italy in 2025.
The National Winter Games are a four-yearly event at which athletes with an intellectual disability competed in skiing and snowboarding disciplines.
Southland skiers Ryan Senior, Grant McKenzie and Aaron Wild won 5 medals between them, in the ninth national competition since 1992.
Senior struck double gold and was the fastest skier in the top division in both the slalom and giant slalom at the event held at Cardona.
In the giant slalom he recorded a time of 1 minute 9.21 seconds across two runs to hold off the challenges of Timothy Clayton of Hawke’s Bay and Jason Donovan of Kapiti.
In the slalom competition he recorded a combined time of 1min 27.52sec to be nearly eight seconds faster than Clayton and Manatu’s Joseph Fitzpatrick Bryant.
Another Southland skier to claim gold was Grant McKenzie who won the slalom in the Intermediate division 6 category, a day after he claimed silver in the giant slalom.
In the same Intermediate category, Jack Robinson claimed bronze in the giant slalom.
Snowboarder Aaron Wild was another Southlander amongst the medals, claiming bronze in snowboard cross and narrowly missing out on a second medal in the giant slalom a day earlier.
Special Olympics Chief Executive Fran Scholey said the National Winter Games had been an overwhelming success with the weather playing its part and all races completed in the first three days.
That left the athletes with a stunning reserve day on Friday to get some more skiing in and get ready for the closing disco.
“And for most of them that is the highlight of the whole event,” said Scholey, adding that the National Winter Games are about competing, but also about making new friends.
The athletes competing in Wanaka have now put their hands up to be selected for the next World Winter Games which will be held in Turin in 2025.
“The National Winter games has been a marvellous opportunity for our inspiring athletes to showcase their skills and abilities, prior to Winter World Games selection,” she said.
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