Calum Titmus (20) from Great Gidding has just come back to the UK having competed last weekend in the Austrian Special Olympics Figure Skating Championships. He competed alongside competitors from Germany, Russia, Finland, Great Britain and Austria. After two days of intensive competition, he successfully defended his title as Austrian National Special Olympics Figure Skating champion. This is all the more remarkable when you realise that Calum is Autistic with severe learning difficulties. Figure Skating as a Special Olympics sport was brought to Britain for the first time in 2012, and this year Speed Skating was added to the event. Calum entered the Speed Skating event at three distances, winning Gold in each race, and is now the first British Special Olympics Speed Skating Champion.
Calum Titmus
Inclusive Skating Charity
Calum is also heavily involved with Inclusive Skating. This is a charity that is trying to set up a family orientated group at each ice rink in the UK. This group will be for anyone with any visual, hearing, bio-mechanical or learning difficulty, along with family and carers who want to learn to skate. Please look out for local fundraising events for Calum and Inclusive Skating.
Heading off to Iceland
Calum will also be one of the senior British Inclusive skaters, that is any figure skater with an impairment, heading to Reykjavik, Iceland at the end of May 2014. He will also be competing as a Special Olympian.
Calum attends Huntingdon Regional College and trains twice a week at Planet Ice in Peterborough. He also trains at the gyms in the One Leisure group and with the Piranhas Swimming Club in Huntingdon as well as the Peterborough Special Olympics Swimming Club. He represented the Eastern Region region in the National Special Olympics Games in Bath last August as a swimmer, winning a gold and silver medal.
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