Southborough athlete Jane Andrews recently competed at the inaugural Special Olympics Great Britain National Winter Games in Folgaria, Italy that featured both alpine skiing and figure skating competitions.
Jane represented the Special Olympics South East Ski Group in the week-long competition (January 27-February 3) alongside 11 other athletes from the southeastern region with intellectual disabilities.
Competing in both the advanced level Giant Slalom (Division 2) and Super Giant Slalom (Division 1) events, Jane narrowly missed out twice on a place on the podium, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Special Olympics Great Britain is the largest provider of sports training and competition for children and adults with an intellectual disability in the country. Operating in England, Scotland and Wales, the charity has more than 6,600 athletes benefitting from opportunities in 27 different sports.
Following the competition, Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “Huge congratulations go to all athletes on their success at this first National Winter Games.
“Given the daily challenges that people with intellectual disabilities face throughout their lives, it’s a great achievement to be here competing and proudly representing their region at a national sporting event, let alone winning a medal.”
The results of the competition in Folgaria will help support the selection process for the Team GB squad at the subsequent Special Olympics World Winter Games, which takes place in Torino, Italy, from March 8 to 16 2025.
Eight alpine skiers and two figure skaters will be selected to represent Team Special Olympics GB for the first Special Olympics World Winter Games since 2017.
Jane Andrews was previously selected for the Team GB squad for the 2013 edition of the Special Olympic World Winter Games and had a hugely successful performance in the competition, returning home from the event in South Korea with two gold medals.
