ATHLETES with learning difficulties are returning to Scotland victorious after winning a clutch of gold medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

The games are run for athletes with Down's Syndrome, autism and other learning disabilities, and to help them build life skills as well as sporting ability.

Team GB took a team of ice skaters to the games for the first time this year, and came back with two gold medals thanks to Heather McNeil, from Airdrie, and Courtney Montgomery, from Cumbernauld.

Anne Stokes, a figure skating coach from Coatbridge, said: “The two girls are the first in our team to get golds.

“Heather was very lucky because on the day she was doing her competition Torvill and Dean were here. She was absolutely over the moon, she was awestruck, I think we all were. We met Olympic gold medallist Michelle Kwan as well.

“Getting Heather here at all was a struggle, not because of her skating which is absolutely amazing, but she has a lack of self-confidence so getting her to believe in herself was a big, big challenge.

“We believed she had it in her to do it but to build up her confidence was really hard, and at one point we thought it would be too much for her to cope with but she’s come out here and she has been absolutely amazing.

“She has come back a different girls, it has been the making of her.

“She cried when she came off, but that was just all the stress coming out. None of us thought she would get a gold medal, we were just happy for them to go out there, do their best and we would be proud, so we were all blown away when they both got gold because it was a tough competition.

She continued: “Courtney is slightly different in that she can be quite confident and outgoing, so when she was going out to skate she was quite chilled and relaxed and I thought it was the best skating she has ever done.

“When the girls and boys first came to the club, none of them could skate, and some had a lot difficulties making friends and socialising with no confidence.

“They’ve now made so many friends, and that has built their confidence and self-esteem and it has just blown us all away.”

Adrienne Purdie, from Aberdeen, is assistant head of delegation for the GB Team at the 2017 World Winter Games and a ski trainer.

“The total GB ski team had six golds, four silver and four bronze,” she said.

“Owen Stephen and Lauren Kane are both from Aberdeen. Owen came fourth in the giant slalom, and was in silver position on his final run but he unfortunately fell and straddled a gate. Lauren got silver.”

Like the Paralympics, athletes are put into divisions based on their disability to ensure they are competing equally.

Adrienne said: “Some of them can have severe learning difficulties, but they’re actually extremely fast and that gives them an amazing freedom that they wouldn’t normally have so it’s fantastic to see them on the slopes and on the ice.

“We have a Grampian area ski team that we try to promote and publicise as much as possible to get people involved.

“They learn a lot of independence. Lauren Kane, for example, kept asking us to do her hair at the start of the competition, and we set her a challenge to learn how to do her own hair by the end of the competition and now she can do it.

“So it’s not just about the skiing, it’s about their whole development and confidence. They’re part of a team. We have few shy ones but by the end of the week they all gel and they’re all talking to each other, laughing and joking so it’s just fantastic.”

Her son Luke, who has learning difficulties, competed in South Korea four years ago and Adrienne said he came back a completely different person.

“He is so much more confident,” she said. “He never used to talk to people but we encourage them to interact with athletes from other countries. They get pin badges that they swap with international athletes, and come back with pin badges from other countries representing all of the people that they have met.”