Wicklow Athlete wins Silver at Special Olympics

Lorraine Whelan, a 20 year-old athlete from Delgany, Co. Wicklow, has won the silver medal in the Novice Downhill Skiing Final at the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Anchorage, Alaska.

Wicklow's Lorraine Whelan: Silver Medalist

Whelan completed the downhill event in 32.13 seconds - a spectacular acheivement for an athlete from a country not known for its snow.

The Irish athletes trained for months on plastic slopes, using sprinklers to wet the slopes and give a more snow like experience. However the practice slopes are one-third the size of the actual slope used for the Novice course at Alyeska Resort in Alaska.

These training conditions didn’t seem to hinder Whelan’s performance. The remaining five Irish athletes also received awards for fourth and fifth place finishes, while Irish skier Finbarr Hughes received a silver medal in his division of the downhill event..

The Olympic Flame

Training on plastic slopes hasn’t seemed to faze these six athletes, as they are just proud to be here in Alaska competing and making new friends. Emphasizing the spirit of Special Olympics, Whelan exclaimed, "I’m just here to have fun!".

The special winter olympics, the largest international sporting event ever held in Alaska, has attracted 2,750 athletes and coaches from 80 countries.