TURIN, Italy – Olympians Jeremiah Spence and Jayda Hughes have both won gold medals in Turin, Italy at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Both athletes won gold medals in Alpine Skiing, in the Novice Giant Slalom, event, yesterday.

Coach Mitchell McKinney posted on his Face Book page, “To have both of my local athletes take gold in the first event of alpine ski at the Special Olympics World Winter Games was very special.”

Then, today, in the Alpine Skiing, Novice Super G, Spence took fourth place in the men’s event and Hughes took third place in the women’s event.

The local athletes are representing the United States on the Special Olympics world team and are competing again in events Friday and Saturday.  More than 1,500 athletes from 102 delegations are competing in eight different sports states the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games website. The games culminate in a closing ceremony on March 15.