Emma pictured with her medals.
Two local residents, Emma Ronald and Emily Plant, recently returned from representing Great Britain at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025. The games were held in Turin between the 8th and 15th March, and involved athletes from 98 delegations, competing in 8 different events.
Emily was competing in the Intermediate category for Slalom and Giant Slalom, and won silver for the Slalom, and gold for the Giant Slalom.
Emma was competing in the Novice category for Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super G (a combination of speed and slalom), and won bronze in the Giant Slalom, silver in the Super G event and was placed a commendable 5th in the Slalom.
Emma pictured in action.
Emma’s mum, Eleanor, told The Bellman, “We can’t begin to express how incredibly proud we all are of Emma and her outstanding achievements at the Special Olympics. Our hope was for her to have a wonderful experience, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones. To see her return not only with cherished memories but also with silver and bronze medals, along with an impressive 5th-place finish, is truly remarkable.
We would like to thank the supporting staff who helped and looked after Emma on her skiing journey. We would also like to thank the Stonehaven Lions, Grampian Disability Sport, Macphie Limited and family and friends for their generous contributions towards Emma’s skiing journey.
Congratulations, Emma—your dedication and success inspire us all!”
Both women train in Aberdeen with the Special Olympics Grampian Area Ski group and were accompanied to Italy by one of the group leaders. Team Special Olympics Great Britain consisted of 10 athletes, competing in both Alpine Skiing and Figure Skating. Together they won 5 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze medals, and were highly placed an additional 9 times. The full results, and more information can be found on the Special Olympics Great Britain website.