On 11 March, Special Olympics Chile snowboarding athlete Gonzalo Escobar was awarded the first gold medal of the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025, competing in the Advanced Giant Slalom Snowboarding Final. Finishing four seconds faster than his closest competitor, Gonzalo crossed the finish line at 1:40.370. The honor of receiving the first gold medal is one Gonzalo shares with more than 1,500 athletes and Unified partners who trained, sacrificed and endured to compete here. This medal was not just a win for Gonzalo, but a win for those who continue to defy expectations and achieve their dreams through sport.
“For me, this medal means sacrifice, bravery, effort, familial support and support from coworkers,” said Gonzalo. “I am very excited to have won first place and a gold medal on the world stage.”
As a student at Colegio Diferencial Madre Tierra in Santiago, Chile, which serves youth with intellectual disabilities, Gonzalo learned of Special Olympics. Five years ago, he began training in summer sports with Special Olympics Chile. But long before, his love for winter sports was instilled by his grandfather, Claudio Wernli, who was a competitive skier in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Austria. His grandfather, now in his 80s, remains a force on the slopes, carving the way for his 28-year-old grandson.
“I want to recognize my family, who has always been there for me, who always pushed me forward,” said Gonzalo. “Whenever I’m feeling down, they give me that push. They give me the tools to keep growing.”
His growth is exemplified through his leadership, through his words of inspiration to those who need that same push. During the IV Latin American Games Special Olympics Asunción 2024, Gonzalo was elected President of the Regional Athlete Leadership Council (RALC), where he leads athletes in advocacy efforts throughout the Special Olympics Latin America Region. And as part of the Local Organizing Committee for the Special Olympics World Games Chile 2027, Gonzalo will welcome the world to his home. Even at work, Gonzalo mentors the next generation in inclusion as a sports assistant at the local municipality.
“Inclusion, to me, means something that I have been working and fighting toward since I joined Special Olympics,” explained Gonzalo. He continued:
Inclusion is not something done just in Chile, but all over the world… We need to teach everyone the meaning of inclusion, because anyone with intellectual disabilities or any type of disability should have the same opportunities. Long live inclusion!
Tirelessly working to provide those opportunities is Special Olympics Chile head coach Mick Jackson for the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025. From California, Mick now lives in Santiago, where he met Gonzalo.
“The journey started in 2019 with Gonzalo through Special Olympics Chile,” said Mick. “We’ve been working together every season. We went to the X Games in 2020. It’s been a beautiful journey this entire time, just training a lot. He’s such an incredible person; he’s grown so much as a person since the first time I met him.”
Atop the award podium, Gonzalo received the gold medal on behalf of those who helped him get there. At his sides, Special Olympics USA athlete Sulynnette Vega-Ledesma was awarded the bronze medal, with a time of 2:01.110, and Special Olympics USA athlete Chris Furches the silver medal, with a time of 1:44.070. Gonzalo encouraged them to stand with him, at the top of the podium, his win transcending borders.
“Your achievements, you celebrate them with not only your country, but with all the world,” said Gonzalo. “People with disabilities, we have the same rights, in sports, to compete, to enjoy our lives and health.”
The following days of the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 brought Gonzalo another gold medal in the Advanced Super-G, or Super Giant Slalom, event and a silver medal in the Advanced Slalom Final. The victories, however, do not belong to Gonzalo, nor Chile. They belong to everyone everywhere who shares in the mission of inclusion. In the words of Gonzalo, “¡Viva inclusión!”
