By WMBD TV
BLOOMINGTON – There will be a Special Olympian from central Illinois this year.
23-year-old Daniel Johnson from Normal will compete in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 4×100-meter snowshoeing events at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025. Snowshoeing is similar to track and field, but competitors run with snowshoes on instead of gym shoes.
When he learned that he was selected to represent his country, a wave of shock went over him.
“I still can’t believe I’m representing USA and representing this town,” he said.
Johnson competes as part of the Special Opportunities Available in Recreation or SOAR program, which is a “community therapeutic recreation program” that helps people from the age of four and up whose needs are not met by “traditional recreational programs.”
It is offered in both Bloomington and Normal. One of his coaches, Dee Wilson, described Johnson as a tough competitor.
“He’s very coachable. Sometimes he will do more than what you want him to do,” she said.
SOAR has had athletes compete in the summer games before, but Johnson is the first athlete to compete in the winter version.
“They haven’t had that before, and I’m the first athlete. It feels great to represent SOAR and the USA,” Johnson said.
Wilson said Illinois is different from other states in how they select athletes for the games. It isn’t just how they perform, the intangibles are also considered.
“We look for athletes who are able to advocate for themselves, who let us know when there is a physical issue or a health issue. We look for athletes that are able to follow directions because this is a big step, being out on their own,” she said.
To echo that point, Johnson said this will be his first time out of the country.
In 2023, he garnered the top spot at Illinois’ Special Olympics Winter Games which allowed him to be nominated for the international event.
He filled out his application and was accepted to be on the team last spring. Since then, he’s been training for the games, even going to Salt Lake City with his teammates to train at the Team Trials.
The Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy, will have 1,500 athletes from 103 countries, and will take place March 8-16.
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