Today at the World Winter Games – March 11
Nickell Sees First Skiing Action at the Games
Three days after Second Lady of the United State Usha Vance led the Special Olympics USA delegation into the Opening Ceremonies, Morehead skier DesaRae Nickell saw her first action of the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games on the slopes today in Turin, Italy. Nickell participated in the Divisioning Round for the Giant Slalom and Super G. The Divisioning Round is used to group athletes in appropriate heats for the upcoming competitions.
Nickell skied a time of :48.20 seconds in the Intermediate division. Her time was the fastest of all the Special Olympics USA skiers and the 18th fastest overall in the Intermediate division. We won’t know how that compares to the other skiers she will compete against in the finals until later today or tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow Nickell will ski in the Giant Slalom finals tomorrow in what will be her first chance at a medal at the Games.
The World Winter Games skiing competition is being held in Sestriere, which also hosted the skiing competition at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
The Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 will take place from March 8-16, 2025, gathering over 1,500 athletes from 103 countries to compete in eight winter sports and showcase the determination of people with intellectual disabilities and the power of inclusion through sport. World Winter Games events will be held in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy.
ESPN’s television networks and digital platforms will bring extensive coverage to sports fans and supporters of the Special Olympics movement around the world. As the official global broadcast partner of Special Olympics, ESPN will deliver live and recorded highlights on its family of TV channels, the ESPN+ streaming service, ESPN3, ESPN.com and the ESPN App.
To follow Special Olympics USA, visit specialolympicsusa.org, join the email list, and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Hashtag: #Cheer4USA
For more information about the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games or DesaRae’s progress, contact Mark Buerger at mbuerger@soky.org or 502-695-8222.