Ella Curtis, a Craven College Foundation Learning student, and talented cyclist, is set to compete at the Berlin Special Olympics 2023, an event solely for athletes with an intellectual disability.
From 17 – 23 June, across 26 sports, Berlin will welcome nearly 8,000 athletes for their chance to grace the podium and demonstrate their dedication to their chosen sport.
Along with 180 cyclists from around the world, Ella will compete in time trails in both the 500m (Friday 23 June) and 1km (Thursday 22 June) on the short circuits at Brandenburger Tor and the Tiergarten.
After competing on 3 wheels in Abu Dhabi in 2019, Ella won bronze in the 1km and a 4th ribbon in the 500m, fighting hard for her place against mostly 2-wheeled competitors.
Ella’s list of achievements doesn’t stop there, she won the award for training herself to ride on 2 wheels, a gold medal at last year’s Special Olympics National Cycling Competition in the 1km time trials, and the Young Disabled Sports Person of the Year for being the first Yorkshire athlete to be selected for SOGB cycling.
In anticipation of this year’s competition, Ella has been sticking to an intense training schedule of indoor turbo training in winter, solo cycling, core fitness, swim sessions with Bradford Special Olympics Swim Club and for the past 6 weeks a weekly physio, massage and coached cycle session with local women’s tour pro cyclist, Sophie Thackray.
With Berlin City Council set to shut down its main road for two weeks to traffic, these games are set to bring the city to a standstill and catapult its athletes into the spotlight.
You can catch the standout moments and highlights from the Berlin Special Olympics over on the official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpecialOlympicsWorldGamesBerlin2023
| Title | Level |
|---|---|
| Foundation Learning 1 | Entry Level 2 |
| Foundation Learning 2 | Entry Level 3 |
| Supported Internships | Level 1 |
