Snowshoe athlete Danielle Pechet Races for Canada with Family Behind Her Every Step

For Danielle Pechet, the moment was surreal. After years of training, hard work, and dreaming of competing on the world stage, she was finally here. The mountains of northern Italy towered around her as she took her place on the start line for her first-ever Special Olympics World Winter Games race. It was Tuesday, March 11, and the preliminary round of the 800-metre snowshoe event was about to begin.

As the starting signal echoed through the crisp Turin air, Pechet surged forward, each step reflecting years of training and determination. Crossing the finish line in fourth place with a time of 5 minutes and 27.21 seconds—just 11 seconds behind the third-place finisher, Nga Man Ha of Hong Kong—Pechet’s effort was met with cheers from the stands. Her mother, Debbie, sister, and young nephew watched in awe, overwhelmed with pride. They had traveled halfway around the world to witness this milestone in Danielle’s journey, and after her first race, there wasn’t a dry eye among them.

“Oh my gosh, she just raced her first race, and I couldn’t be more proud,” Debbie said, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t believe this is happening for her. Special Olympics has changed my daughter’s life so much. The love, the family we all feel—it’s beautiful. It’s surreal, I think, for her, because she’s never had an opportunity like this.” But what moved Debbie most wasn’t just Danielle’s athletic performance—it was her perspective. “She said the hardest thing has been being away from her family,” Debbie shared. “But do you know what her comeback was? She said that she can just lean on her Special Olympics family. How beautiful is that?”

While Pechet has been leaning on her Special Olympics family, her family from home has still got her back. She was feeling a little nervous about engaging in the pin trading tradition with athletes from other countries, but her young nephew stepped in to help. Taking the initiative, he started carrying her pins around and trading on her behalf, proudly telling others, “I’m trading for my aunt, she’s competing for Canada!”

Pechet’s road to Turin began in Vernon, B.C., where she first discovered Special Olympics. In 2007, she attended a track meet in Vancouver, which opened the door to an active lifestyle and a strong community of support. She officially joined Special Olympics in 2019, focusing on snowshoeing, where she quickly excelled. Her determination and talent earned her a place on Special Olympics Team Canada after a standout performance at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2024 in Calgary, where she captured a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals. But beyond the medals, it was the friendships and lessons learned that meant the most.

“My favourite memory with Special Olympics has been keeping in touch with the people I met at my first-ever competitions,” Pechet said. “I have made friends from all over B.C. and Canada.” One of the biggest challenges she’s faced being part of the National Team Program has been traveling without her family. Over time, she’s embraced the experience, learning resilience and self-reliance along the way. “I learned that I am a lot braver than I thought I was,” she said.

For Pechet, Special Olympics has been lifechanging. “Good sportsmanship and perseverance,” she says, are the most valuable lessons she’s learned. She is also passionate about changing perceptions of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We train just as hard as any other athlete,” she affirms, eager to prove that inclusion in sport means competing with the same dedication, drive and access to opportunity as any competitor. As she continues to race in Turin, Pechet is focused on one goal: representing Canada to the best of her ability. She carries with her the cheers of her family, her teammates, and her entire Special Olympics community.

Her advice for other athletes? “When it gets challenging, lean on your support system, trust your training, and say, ‘I got this.’” With each step through the snowy terrain of Italy, Danielle Pechet is proving what’s possible through hard work and belief in herself. And as her family and supporters watch from the sidelines, one thing is clear—she’s already won in the ways that matter most. Stay tuned for results from the finals later this week as Pechet competes for her shot at the podium and a medal moment to remember.