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Early greeters prepare to welcome Teagan Lockwood home from her Special Olympics competition in Turin, Italy.
Teagan Lockwood was welcomed home with balloons, hugs and cheers late Friday night at Fairbanks International Airport.
Teagan Lockwood earned a bronze medal in skiing at the Special Olympic World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Friend Bethany Fowle was there with signs and flags to welcome her friend Teagan home to Fairbanks.
When Teagan Lockwood arrived home at Fairbanks International Airport Friday night, she was greeted with waving American flags, colorful balloons and a swarm of friends and supporters chanting her name.
It marked the end of a remarkable week for the young Fairbanks woman, who spent it in Italy competing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025. She comes home with a bronze medal, which she proudly wore upon her arrival.
During the week-long competition, Teagan finished third in the intermediate slalom, fourth in the intermediate giant slalom and seventh in the intermediate Super G races.
The 2025 games, in Turin, Italy, featured 1,500 athletes from 103 countries across eight World Winter Games sports.
Upon her arrival Saturday night, Teagan looked very tired, after about 29 hours of traveling, but happy and surprised to see everyone who gathered to greet her. She burst into a huge smile and happily hugged her friends.
Her bronze medal is especially cherished after all she went through to get to the 2025 contest. Teagan was supposed to compete in the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2021 in Sweden, but that was postponed and relocated due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Then she was slated for the 2023 World Winter Games in Russia, but that was cancelled after Russias’s invasion of Ukraine.
She also overcame a torn ACL in 2020, a right ankle tendon surgery in 2023 and a left ankle tendon surgery in 2024.
Nevertheless, in Italy, she went on to finish in the top eight in three total events. Her two teammates, from another part of Alaska, also won medals in snowboarding and skiing.
Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at kcapps@newsminer.com.
