Three athletes returned home to Kelowna from Europe this week with smiles on their faces and medals in their possession.
Tracey Melesko, Tony Wilkinson and Francis Stanley all represented B.C. and Team Canada at the Special Olympic World Winter Games in Austria.
A multiple medal winner at past national and international competitions, Melesko won three medals at the 2017 games in women’s cross country skiing.
Melesko captured gold in both the 5K Classical event and the 4 x 1K relay along with her Canadian teammates. She also collected a bronze medal in the 2.5K Classical.
Wilkinson was part of Canada’s gold medal winning team in snowshoeing’s 4 x 100 metre relay. He also won an individual silver in the 100 metre event, while adding a fifth-place showing in the 200.
Stanley won a gold medal in men’s cross country in the 2.5K Classical race. He was also sixth in the 10K freestyle and seventh in the 4 x 1K free relay.
Vernon’s Justin Sigal, who trains with Kelowna’s athletes, won two medals in men’s cross country—a silver in the 2.5 K Classical and a bronze in the 5K Classical.
Two coaches from Kelowna accompanied the four Okanagan athletes to Austria. Garth Vickers served as cross country coach as well as the wax-technician, while David Wilkinson coached snowshoeing.