Kelowna picks up four golds in one of the world’s largest sporting events of 2017

Kelowna athletes picked up four gold medals for Team Canada in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria, contributing to an impressive overall performance from B.C. athletes who collectively earned 11 gold, ten silver and five bronze medals.

Kelowna's Tracey Melesko crushed the cross-country races, securing two golds with the women's team in the 5km classic cross country race and 4x1km relays.

Francis Stanley secured a gold medal in his first World Games performance in the 2.5-kilometre Cross Country skiing race, and Kelowna’s Tony Wilkinson earned gold in the 4x100m snowshoeing relay.

Kelowna’s David Wilkinson coached B.C.'s snowshoeing athletes while Garth Vickers coached the cross country skiers.

Vernon’s Justin Sigal also secured a silver medal in the M6 5-kilometre cross country ski race as well as a bronze medal in the 2.5-kilometre cross-country race.

“We are very proud of this province’s members of Special Olympics Team Canada 2017. They trained so hard to be able to perform at their best on the world stage, and they showed such inspiring dedication, sportsmanship, and skill,” said Lois McNary, Special Olympics BC Vice President, Sport.

The World Games, which is one of the world’s largest sporting and humanitarian events to be held in 2017, brought together more than 2,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 1,1000 coaches from 105 countries from March 14th to 24th.

The Special Olympics Team Canada 2017 members from B.C. are expected to land back in Vancouver International Airport on Saturday at 9.30 p.m.

Here’s the full list of team members from B.C.:

• Abbotsford’s Paige Norton (athlete, speed skating) and Donna Bilous (Head Coach, speed skating)
• Burnaby’s Darren Inouye (mission staff, figure skating)
• Campbell River’s Maureen Hunter (coach, snowshoeing)
• Cranbrook’s Roxana Podrasky, Erin Thom, and Jonathan Robins (athletes, alpine skiing)
• Delta’s Marc Theriault (Special Olympics BC – Surrey athlete, figure skating)
• Fort St. John’s Darlene Jakubowski (athlete, figure skating)
• Langley’s Matthew Williams (athlete, speed skating) and Elizabeth Roman (Special Olympics BC – Surrey coach, figure skating)
• Kelowna’s Tracey Melesko and Francis Stanley (athletes, cross country skiing), Tony Wilkinson (athlete, snowshoeing), David Wilkinson (coach, snowshoeing), and Garth Vickers (coach/wax technician, cross country skiing)
• Maple Ridge’s Katherine St. Amand (athlete, alpine skiing)
• New Westminster’s Mark Schnurr (Special Olympics BC – Coquitlam coach, alpine skiing)
• Nanaimo’s Dennis Lynch (athlete, cross country skiing)
• Penticton’s Ray Huson (coach, cross country skiing)
• Squamish’s Randy Scott (Special Olympics BC – North Shore Head Coach, alpine skiing)
• Surrey’s Susan Wang (athlete, alpine skiing)
• Vancouver’s Alexander Pang (athlete, figure skating)
• Vernon’s Justin Sigal (athlete, cross country skiing)
• Victoria’s Michael Langridge (athlete, alpine skiing)

For more information on the full B.C. results as well as links to photos and videos, click here.