Spa gymnast Aaron to represent Ireland in Special Olympics

Spa gymnast Aaron to represent Ireland in Special Olympics

3 May 2023

A SPA gymnast will represent Team Ireland at the Special Olympics in Berlin this June.

Nineteen-year-old Aaron Lenzi, who has Down Syndrome, will join 78 other Irish athletes and 7,000 more from around the world at the two-week event.

Aaron’s mum, Joanne, said she decided to introduce her son to gymnastics when he was very young because he loved to climb and showed a lot of upper body strength.

“We registered him for the Special Olympics when he was seven or eight because there’s quite a long waiting list and he got a place when he was around ten,” she explained.

Aaron was a member of Belvoir Special Olympics Club for several years and last year secured a place at LX Gymnastics, Dunmurry.

It was while at LX Gymnastics that Aaron was selected to compete in Berlin. 

“Normally they would have a year’s build-up, with regional selection, but everything was condensed because of Covid. They did a competition in December and that’s when everyone was ranked and assessed.

“We found out Aaron would be representing Team Ireland before Christmas. Aaron was over the moon. He couldn’t wait to phone everyone and tell them.

“Aaron goes to Knockevin School in Downpatrick. He told friends, neighbours and anyone else he could find.”

Aaron’s first training Team Ireland session was in January, which was a chance for him to meet all the other athletes.

Aaron will compete in a number of gymnastic disciplines, including the high bar, rings, parallel bars and vault.

Aaron’s training involves a two-hour session at LX Gymnastics every Wednesday, as well as Special Olympics training in Dublin once a month and an exercise schedule for to be done at home.

“It’s all about a healthy mind as well,” Joanne said. “So he has Zoom sessions about his wellbeing, because he’ll be away for over two weeks and we won’t see him much. It is a big step and the longest he’s been away from home.”

Recently, Aaron and his fellow sports stars were invited to celebrate the election of Special Olympics Ulster’s next chairperson at Stormont.

It was there that Joanne and Aaron realised how important this opportunity was.

“It just kind of hit me,” Joanne said. “Before that they were doing their normal training and stuff, but actually listening to everyone at Stormont — the chief executive of Special Olympics Ireland, the chairperson and others — it hit me, and Aaron as well, that it was actually kind of a big deal.”

Before Aaron was born Joanne and her husband Peter were told that children with Down Syndrome people had low muscle tone.

Joanne remarked: “It shows that there are stereotypes of particular learning difficulties but no one’s the same. He loves it, he just loves doing it.

“Aaron’s favourite is the high bar, because he likes jumping off and doing the landing. He’s a bit of a daredevil and he doesn’t have much fear.”