A FIGURE SKATER who trains at Bradford Ice Arena has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Special Olympics in Russia next year.
25-year-old, Jenny Lee from Skipton will be representing Great Britain at the competition that is targeted at people with intellectual disabilities.
She will perform a single routine on her own, and another with her skating partner, Callum Mills who has charge syndrome and is deaf.
The competition will take place in Kazan, Russia in 2023 as it was postponed this year due to Covid.
Jenny said: "The thing I like most about skating is that I can do it and others can't. Most things, other people can do better than me, but this is something I can do."
"I love performing, and I love skating and meeting the other athletes. It's also meant I've been able to travel to places and do things I probably wouldn't have done before."
Jenny has a condition called polymicrogyria, is deaf, and received cochlear implants when she was 11, but she hasn't let it stop her from achieving her goals.
Jenny's mother, Mrs. Lee said: "Jenny was quite normal when she was born, but then at nine months we noticed she wasn't able to sit up. At three, wasn't able to walk.
"The doctor said her development was delayed and she also has hearing impairment but she's proved that disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from doing anything. I'm so proud of her, and I was made up for her when she got selected for Kazan."
Although Jenny's condition can affect her balance and coordination, she has won competitions against other able-bodied figure skaters and won first place.
She has won gold at a previous Special Olympics event in Graz Austria, in 2017, and with her skating partner at the English Inclusive Skating Championships which how, they qualified to skate together in Russia.
Although lockdown put a stop to her training for almost two years, her coach, Adrian Jack said they're more than ready to get out there.
Jenny's future plans are to carry on competing, improving her skills and she said she would love to be a performer on Disney-on-Ice, a skating show which tours around the country each year.
Mrs. Lee said that the event is all self-funded and they have been selling homemade jam and holding events to fundraise for the costs involved.
To donate, visit click here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here