Gymnast Kaylen McDonald To Compete At Special Olympics In Berlin.

Kaylen McDonald will forever remember his 18th birthday.

It was the day his dreams came true.

He gave a stellar performance at the Speed Olympics National Games in Tasmania last year and won seven gold medals.

This weekend McDonald will join 7000 other athletes with intellectual disabilities from around 170 countries to compete in 24 sports at the World Games from June 17 to 25 in Berlin.

It will be McDonald’s first international competition, a highlight of his 16-year journey with the Y.

Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder at a young age, McDonald began gymnastics at the Y Bankstown when he was 2.

“I feel good about the Y being inclusive of people with a disability like me because it gives us an opportunity to have fun, learn new communication skills, teamwork skills and make new friends,” McDonald said.

His grandmother, who also took gymnastics lessons at the Y Bankstown before moving into a coaching role at 16, was his first coach.

McDonald recalled the poignant moment he and his grandmother learned he would be competing against the very best at the Special Olympics.

“My grandmother got an email and I heard her crying in her room,” he said.

“She gave me her phone so I could read the email and I also started crying.

“She said, “Congratulations, you’ve worked 16 hard years to make it this far.”

Training six hours a week ahead of the Games as part of the Y’s Special Olympics gymnastics training program, McDonald looks forward to trying his best, making new friends and learning about different cultures while in Berlin.

He credited the program for providing opportunities for people with a disability to pursue their goals.

The Y’s Special Olympics men’s coach, Matthew Wotton, who runs the program at the Y Epping, said he was proud of the young athlete’s achievements.

“He’s got the honour of representing the country - there’s not many people who can say that,” Wotton said.

“I think it’s very rewarding to progress to that level and experience the top in their sport and the top of what they’re doing.

“I feel proud to see Kaylen achieve what he’s achieved in a short period of time.”

McDonald has continued to follow in his grandmother’s footsteps, becoming an accredited coach at the Bankstown centre where he now trains beginner gymnasts aged 4 to 12 years.

“I love that I can teach kids the stuff I was taught when I was their age, so I can help them have fun and build muscle strength and skills they can use outside of gymnastics and in gymnastics,” he said.

The Y Bankstown Gymnastics Coordinator, and McDonald’s manager, Jessica Mavridis, described him as a “determined gymnast” and “a fun and energetic coach”.

“All his kids love being in his class because he understands them and completes activities with them that are challenging,” Ms Mavridis said.

“Kaylen is a true Y “lifer” - his journey through the Y started when he was a little kid.

“He has trained and competed in our Special Olympics and FreeG programs, which have been a huge success in our centre.

“Kaylen then completed our Mentee Program and is now employed as one of our recreational coaches.”

• Topics:

• People
• Gymnastics