Special Olympics Costa Rica athletes Ashly Sanchez Ledezma and Emily Salguero Mata were each the first across the finish line in their respective 100-meter snowshoeing divisioning rounds. Clocking in at 00:22.10 and 00:21.45, their times were results that any athlete would be proud of. Yet, these accomplishments were especially impressive given that, before this week, they had never seen snow.
Determined to make their mark on the Winter World Games Turin 2025, the duo took creative approaches to training within the tropical climate they call home. Utilizing the natural landscape in Costa Rica, Ashly and Emily trained on the beach to simulate the resistance experienced when running on snow.
Through fog and rain, Ashly (far right) and Emily (second to the right) train for snowshoeing atop Volcan Irazu in Cartago, Costa Rica.
But their innovation didn’t stop there. To prepare for the cold and potentially inclement weather they would face in Sestriere, Ashly and Emily took their training to the next level by practicing on the top of a volcano. As Emily shared, “The volcano is a really high place and there are similar conditions to the mountains. It may not be as cold as here, but when training on the volcano, we face a lot of cold rain and fog.”
With volcano and beach trainings behind them, Ashly and Emily were mentally prepared to face the snow and endure any unpredictable weather event thrown their way. However, during their races on 12 March 2025, they were pleasantly surprised to find nothing but blue skies! The snow-packed track also allowed them to find more speed than expected, propelling them forward rather than sinking into the sand with each step, as they do on the beach back home.
Although Wednesday’s race-day conditions were milder than the 19-year-old pair anticipated, they credit their success to the challenges they faced throughout their training process. As Ashly shared, she hopes that her performance will teach anyone watching to “pursue your dreams and fight for it.”
Ashly and Emily’s snowshoe-specific training began less than a year ago, but their perseverance mindset and transferable athletic skills were originally developed through participating in Athletics through Special Olympics Costa Rica for several years.
As Ashly and Emily advance from the divisioning round and prepare for their final events they have their sights set on achieving big goals, and they are determined to give it their all. However, win or lose, they know that just by getting here, they’ve accomplished so much. As Ashly shared, reflecting on her experience so far, “Struggle allowed me to be here. I have already achieved success, but I know I will still need to push to achieve my goals.”
Ashly and Emily competed in the 200m Final on Thursday, 13 March and will compete in the 100m Final on Friday, 14 March. Emily will also represent Special Olympics Costa Rica during Friday’s 4x100m Relay Final.
