Kenneth glides towards glory

Six talented athletes from the West Rand have defied the odds by being selected to represent South Africa in the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

The Special Olympic World Games is the flagship event of Special Olympics, a year-round, global movement serving more than 3.5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities in 227 state and national programmes while offering over 50 000 sports competitions annually.

Four figure skaters, Kenneth Mokabo, Naledi Hlalele, Bianca Basson, and Tyrell Fykes, and two-speed ice skaters, Shirnel Swarts and Shane Bentley, have proven their capabilities by working hard to represent their beloved country with a sport they dearly love.

Roodepoort Northsider journalist Tshegofatso Thobedi visited Kenneth at Logwood Village, where he works and resides, which supports adults with intellectual disabilities. Their sports co-ordinator Elaine Learmonth explained that the village strives to ensure their residents keep active with their various outreach programmes.

Kenneth started figure skating at the age of 16 when the school he attended would teach them how to skate every Thursday at the ice rink. He encourages the younger generation to never give up and keep striving to achieve their dreams.

“That is where my love for skating began. I love being on the ice and learning all these new skills. These World Games are very important to me because I want to show the world my talent,” Kenneth said.

Elaine explained how she would regularly take them to training sessions for around two hours at the Northgate Ice Rink and an additional session on Sundays.

“This will be Kenneth’s third time representing SA in the Special Olympic World Games, and we are very excited for him. Previously he performed exceptionally well and placed 4th, so we are hoping for a gold this year.

“We recently had the skaters, including the new athletes, perform at the Christmas Expo at the Northgate Ice Rink to get used to performing in front of a crowd. We will train again in January and make final preparations before their departure,” Elaine adds.

The athletes will depart for Italy on March 8, 2025.