Shamattawa First Nation teen wins gold at Special Olympics World Winter Games

Stefan Richard · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 6:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A golden medal astatine the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games for 15-year-old Cory Beardy had friends, household and supporters cheering past week. 

Beardy, a cross-country skier from Shamattawa First Nation who lives successful Thompson, Man., won gold for Canada successful the 4x1K relay - escaped technique, with teammates John O'Neil, Sarah McCarthy and Marley Gayler.

He took portion successful aggregate transverse state skiing events during the games, including a 5th spot decorativeness successful the 500-metre classical contention and a 4th spot decorativeness successful the 1K classical race.

Beardy's coach Marlene Enberg was thrilled with his results.

"Just a smidgen disconnected of the medals successful those 2 races!" Enberg said.

Over 1,500 athletes converged successful Turin, Italy to vie successful 8 sports March 8-15.

In 2023, Beardy competed astatine the Special Olympics Manitoba Winter Games successful Winnipeg and was 1 of two Manitoba cross-country skiers selected to beforehand to the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games successful Calgary.

Beardy has been grooming four to 5 times a week for the World Winter Games since qualifying for Team Canada aft the Calgary competition.

In a station connected Facebook, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Beardy's resilience, determination and passionateness was an inspiration to each young athletes crossed the 63 First Nations it represents.

R.D. Parker Collegiate vice-principal Jeff Paradis, who besides works with Beardy arsenic a coach, praised his enactment ethic.

"He's similar the Energizer bunny," Paradis said. 

"Whenever I was retired determination with him, we would instrumentality breaks with immoderate of the different kids and conscionable unbend and talk. Cory would beryllium retired determination doing one, two, three, four more laps astir the track. So, yeah, he's decidedly a large athlete."

Beardy plans to bid for the 2029 Special Olympics World Winter Games that volition beryllium held successful Chur-Graubünden, Switzerland.

But for now, Beardy is simply a 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games golden medallist.

"I said, 'hey, however astir adjacent week, similar Monday, deliberation you tin bring them in,'" Paradis told Beardy up of the school's tone week festivities during the last week of March.

"And helium said, yeah, that'd beryllium cool."